Politics
Democrat Judge Goes Rogue, Threatens To Suspend Court Over Recent Arrests
A liberal judge in Wisconsin is threatening to suspend her own court until further notice after a fellow jurist in Milwaukee was arrested by federal agents on Friday for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid immigration agents seeking to arrest him.
Monica Isham, a circuit judge in Sawyer County, claimed in an email sent to other state judges that she “has no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by [Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents] and sent to a concentration camp,” according to a report from Wisconsin Right Now. The email was sent in response to the arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who allegedly helped an illegal alien with an outstanding deportation order escape from her courtroom when immigration agents came to arrest him.
Dugan, who has been on the Milwaukee County bench for nearly a decade, is accused of obstruction of justice and concealing Eduardo Flores-Ruiz from arrest following a pre-trial hearing last week. She faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
Sawyer County Circuit Court Judge Monica Isham
Isham, who in 2023 became the first Native American woman to be elected to the county circuit court, sounded more like an activist when threatening to start “raising bail money” for defendants.
“Yesterday, Judge Hannah Dugan of Milwaukee County stood on her Oath in the very building she swore to uphold it and she was arrested and charged with felonies for it,” Isham wrote, according to the email obtained by Wisconsin Right Now.
“Enough is enough. I no longer feel protected or respected as a Judge in this administration. If there is no guidance for us and no support for us, I will refuse to hold court in Branch 2 in Sawyer County. I will not put myself or my staff who may feel compelled to help me or my community in [harm’s] way.”
“If this cost me my job or it gets me arrested, then at least I know I did the right thing,” she added.
Dugan appeared briefly at a preliminary hearing on Friday before being released when prosecutors said they will not be seeking pre-trial detention. It was not immediately clear whether Dugan will be placed on leave while the case is pending.
FBI director Kash Patel said Friday that Dugan “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from” Flores-Ruiz following a pre-trial hearing last week. Flores-Rodriguez is accused of committing a vicious assault after someone complained that his music was too loud, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
