On Friday, Dugan was apprehended and accused of obstructing an official procedure after it was revealed that she had concealed an undocumented immigrant from federal authorities, as stated in a criminal complaint. Additionally, she faced charges for harboring an individual to evade detection and arrest, according to Fox News.
The order issued on Tuesday states that Dugan is temporarily barred from exercising the authority of a circuit court judge in the State of Wisconsin.
The state Supreme Court indicated that this ruling will remain in effect until further notice from the court. The Wisconsin Court System informed Fox News on Tuesday afternoon that Dugan will not be returning to the court this week, and her responsibilities will be managed by other judges.
Dugan is set to appear in federal court on May 15 to address charges of obstructing a federal agency and a misdemeanor accusation of concealing a person to aid in evading arrest.
On Friday, the FBI arrested Dugan for allegedly harboring a previously deported undocumented immigrant within the jury chamber to evade capture by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Federal agencies including ICE, FBI, CBP, and DEA were attempting to detain Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz after his scheduled court appearance before Dugan on April 18, where he faced three misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly assaulting two individuals. The lawsuit claims that Dugan instructed the police to proceed to the chief judge’s office and, after the hearing, escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a restricted jury exit, circumventing the public area where agents were positioned to facilitate his arrest.
Dugan appeared in federal court in Milwaukee on Friday but did not make any public statements during the brief hearing, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, informed the court, ‘Judge Dugan deeply regrets and contests her arrest. It was not conducted in the interest of public safety.’
Dugan dismissed local claims that she concealed the undocumented immigrant from ICE, responding to the allegations reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last Tuesday by stating, ‘Almost every detail concerning the ‘tips’ in your email is incorrect.’
Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized Dugan’s conduct during an appearance on Fox’s “America Reports.” “We were astonished that a judge would take such action,” Bondi remarked. “
Obstructing a criminal case is unacceptable. It is truly disgraceful. This was a domestic violence case, and she chose to prioritize the rights of a criminal defendant over those of the victims.”
