How Hannah Dugan Challenged America's New Harshness – and Broke Because of It.
It was important to us to thoroughly investigate the exact charges against Eduardo Flores Ruiz, as well as the statements made in the courtroom, in order to report on this case with accuracy and depth.
FBI agents arrested Judge Hannah Dugan on the grounds of her own courthouse in Milwaukee. According to U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron, Hannah Dugan was taken into custody by the FBI on Friday morning directly on courthouse grounds. Later that same day, she made a brief appearance before the federal court in Milwaukee before being released from custody.
Her offense?
An act of mercy. A moment of independence.
Eduardo Flores Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican national, was standing trial that day. The charges were for assault – one of those countless small tragedies that pass through the American justice system daily. The assault charge was highly disputed; in reality, it concerned a financial disagreement between friends. But this time was different: ICE agents stood ready to arrest him, to deport him from the court into invisibility.
Doch diesmal war es anders: ICE-Agenten standen bereit, ihn festzunehmen, ihn aus dem Gericht in die Unsichtbarkeit abzuschieben.
Hannah Dugan did not see a criminal. She saw a human being.
"Wait, come with me," she is said to have told Flores Ruiz and his lawyer, according to the FBI affidavit. She led them through the jury door, a private passage normally used only by jurors, court staff, and escorted detainees.
As a judge, she is fundamentally authorized to release a person from the courtroom - regardless of which door is used.
A path of escape in a time when justice itself grinds to a halt.
The Poetry of Resistance
In a world where every law has become a wall, sometimes a single open door is enough to shake the system.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on X (formerly Twitter), writing: "Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public."
But these words do not breathe truth.
They breathe fear.
A Country Betraying Its Guardians - Judge Dugan is not the first to fall.
Already in 2019, the Trump administration had attempted to prosecute a judge in Massachusetts for helping a migrant evade an ICE agent. At that time, under a different government, the attempt failed.
Damals scheiterte der Versuch unter einer anderen Regierung, einer anderen Zeit.
But today the world is a different one.
While the Departments of Justice remain silent and court documents stay sealed, it becomes clear that something has changed:
It is no longer the law that rules. It is obedience.
Her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, said during the brief hearing:
"Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety."
Doch das Regime, das sie fesselt, interessiert sich nicht für Reue.
Es interessiert sich für Unterwerfung.
The hearing in this case has been scheduled for May 15, 2025, and Judge Dugan has been released from custody.
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