MILWAUKEE — The arrest of Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan Friday morning at the Milwaukee County Courthouse has created controversy in the community, with attorneys and officials divided on whether the action was appropriate.
Federal authorities arrested Dugan and charged her with obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency.
"It was like a gut punch. It made me physically ill to think that the government had arrested a judge. That was really shocking," Jacobs said.
Ann Jacobs, a Milwaukee area attorney who has appeared in Dugan's courtroom, called the incident baffling.
"I'm not sure how sending someone out to face the people who are there to take them into custody is above the law," Jacobs said.
What particularly concerns Jacobs is how the arrest was conducted, which was captured in a photo posted on X by FBI Director Kash Patel.
"As if they don't know where she lives right. The choice was to go into the courthouse, arrest her there, and put her in handcuffs. It wasn't for safety," Jacobs said.
Others in the community believe the arrest was justified. Hilario Deleon, chairman of the Milwaukee GOP, supports the federal action.
"Just because someone's wearing a black robe, doesn't mean that they're any different than anyone else," Deleon said.
Deleon expressed concerns about the judicial system in Milwaukee County.
"The Milwaukee County Justice System needs to get it's act together and they need to understand that they cannot be activist judges, they cannot be trying to obstruct law enforcement from doing it's job," Deleon said.
Deleon said this arrest made him think about other judges in the United States.
"It really brings the question as to how many judges are actually obstructing justice," Deleon said.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Steven Shea, who works in the courthouse with Dugan, described her as "a devoted public servant" and found the arrest unprecedented.
"If they can arrest a judge outside her own courtroom, they can arrest anybody," Shea said.
According to court records, Dugan has a full docket of cases scheduled for Monday.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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