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MADISON, Wis. 鈥� The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities.

The FBI took Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan into custody Friday morning at the county courthouse. She faces federal charges of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.

In its two-page order, the court said it was acting to protect public confidence in Wisconsin courts during the criminal proceedings against Dugan. The order noted that the court was acting on its own initiative and was not responding to a request from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3.

鈥淚t is ordered聽鈥� that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,鈥� the justices wrote.

Dugan's attorney, Craig Mastantuono, had no immediate comment. A state court spokesperson said a reserve judge began filling in for Dugan on Monday for an indefinite period.

Democrats accused the Trump administration of trying to chill the nation's judiciary.

Dugan is known for running a strict courtroom while also being a familiar face in the community, particularly at interfaith events.

聽while on her way to work at the Milwaukee County courthouse catapulted her into the national fight between the Trump administration and the judiciary over immigration policies. She appeared briefly in federal court later Friday before being released.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the move via social media, saying Dugan 鈥渋ncreased danger to the public.鈥�

The judge allegedly let Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer leave her courtroom through a jury door on April 18 to help avert his arrest, according to an FBI affidavit. Flores-Ruiz was taken into custody outside the courthouse after agents chased him on foot.

Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, was in court for a hearing after being charged with three counts of misdemeanor domestic battery.

Dugan is a longtime Milwaukee public figure

She has been a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge since defeating an incumbent appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2016. She ran unopposed in 2022, and her current term expires in 2028.

Tom Barrett, a former congressman and mayor of Milwaukee for 17 years, said he was friends with Dugan鈥檚 older sister in high school and has known Dugan, 65, since she was 12.

鈥淎s a person and a judge, she always tries to do the right thing, and she cares deeply about the community and people and justice,鈥� Barrett said.

Ann Jacobs, a personal injury plaintiff attorney and Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said, 鈥淪he is always at every parade on behalf of the judges. She is at interfaith events. Her faith is very important to her.鈥�

Dugan previously was a litigation attorney and held administrative posts at Legal Action of Wisconsin Inc. and Legal Aid Society Inc.

As an attorney, legal areas she focused on were older people and disabilities, civil rights, domestic abuse and others, according to her聽.

Dugan was president of the Milwaukee Bar Association from 1999 to 2000 and worked three years as executive director of Catholic Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin Inc.

She was a finalist in the Most Trusted Public Official category in the 2021 Best of Milwaukee contest in The Shepherd Express, an alternative news source.

A 1981 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she also received her law degree in 1987, Dugan has taught law and graduate students at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Attorneys call the judge a 鈥榮tickler鈥� in the courtroom

Attorneys who appeared before Dugan describe her as extremely tough but fair.

鈥淪he is a stickler for procedure,鈥� Milwaukee criminal defense attorney Julius Kim said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 fair. I certainly don鈥檛 think she鈥檚 a pushover, by any stretch. She鈥檚 very methodical in her approach.鈥�

Kim said Dugan takes her job very seriously.

鈥淚n terms of toughness, she has a particular way of wanting things done in court,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n terms of her sentences, comments and how she treats litigants, I think she鈥檚 fair.鈥�

A sign that remained posted on Dugan鈥檚 courtroom door Friday advised that if an attorney or other court official 鈥渒nows or believes that a person feels unsafe coming to the courthouse鈥� or her courtroom, they should notify the clerk and request an appearance via Zoom.

Dugan previously found herself involved in a political fight in 2023, when she dismissed a Republican Party lawsuit that argued a Milwaukee get-out-the-vote effort was illegal.

The FBI says Dugan helped a man evade ICE

The FBI took Dugan into custody on the courthouse grounds 鈥� the same building that federal immigration agents entered last week in search of Flores-Ruiz.

Flores-Ruiz was removed from the U.S. through Arizona over a decade ago, and there is no evidence he got permission to return, according to the affidavit.

A fingerprint match prompted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to go to the courthouse and wait outside the courtroom during his appearance.

After learning the agents were there, Dugan became 鈥渧isibly angry,鈥� according to the affidavit. She and another judge approached them in a hallway and sent them to the chief judge's office. Dugan then returned to her courtroom and ushered Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through the jury door, according to the affidavit.

Defendants who are not in custody and their attorneys never use that door, the affidavit says.

That allegedly helped Flores-Ruiz leave the building using an elevator.

鈥淭he judicial code of conduct restricts judges from commenting on pending or impending matters in any court. Judge Dugan鈥檚 court calendar will be covered by another judge as needed,鈥� District One Chief Judge Carl Ashley said in a statement.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat, said the arrest 鈥渨as clearly more about hype than it was keeping our community safe.鈥�

ICE agents are making arrests in courthouses

Under guidance聽, ICE officers and agents may carry out immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses if they believe someone they are trying to find will be there.

They are generally required to let their internal legal office know ahead of time to make sure there are no legal restrictions, and they are supposed to carry out enforcement actions in non-public areas whenever possible, coordinate with court security and try minimize the impact on court operations. They聽are also to avoid doing so in places that are not used for criminal proceedings, such as family court.

Immigration advocates say letting ICE enter courthouses for arrests intimidates crime victims and witnesses who are in the country illegally.

ICE counter say that in communities that do not notify the agency when jails or prisons are releasing deportable immigrants, they have to find other ways to track them down. ICE also says courthouse arrests are usually safer for agents because people there have generally been searched for weapons.

What happens next?

Dugan has a court date of May 15, this time as a defendant.

Outside the courthouse Friday, dozens of protesters gathered to support Dugan. Some warned that the arrest of the judge could discourage people from reporting a crime or even reporting a fire for fear they themselves could be detained.

鈥淭hese actions are transparently meant to be chilling, cruel and undermining the rule of law,鈥� said Melinda Brennan, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.

Brian Schimming, chair of the state Republican Party, said via social media that the arrest shows that 鈥渘obody鈥檚 above the law, even judges.鈥�

Republicans in the state Assembly, where they have majority control, said in a statement that the charges against Dugan are 鈥渟erious, deeply troubling, and strike at the core of public trust.鈥�

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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer, Mead Gruver and Corey Williams contributed.