The last 24 hours have been quite the case study in the Democratic Party's view of the law, justice, and due process. None of what has unfolded since Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge Hannah Dugan was arrested has surprised me, because it was as predictable as the sun rising in the east.
I knew they'd go all-in on defending Judge Dugan, and for all the wrong reasons: namely because they don't believe in the rule of law or due process when it's their ox that's being gored. I was right. Again.
Friday morning, Judge Dugan was arrested after obstructing ICE, who came to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an illegal immigrant. Flores Ruiz was in Judge Dugan's courtroom because he was arrested on charges of assault. His two victims -- a man and a woman -- were in the courtroom, along with the prosecutor.
The Left has painted her arrest as the acts of a tyrannical, fascist government hellbent on jailing its political opponents (you know, like they did last year with Donald Trump).
The reality is, Judge Dugan received -- and will continue to receive -- due process after breaking our laws.
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This post is for you to place in the comments of any post alleging the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan was illegal and without due process.
— Matt Tardio (@angertab) April 25, 2025
Attached is the criminal complaint signed by a federal judge that authorizes her arrest.
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1⃣Admin warrants are for ICE and CBP. They… pic.twitter.com/G6ZlzK5RFd
Here's what the criminal complaint alleges:
Members of the arrest team reported the following events after Judge DUGAN learned of their presence and left the bench. Judge DUGAN and Judge A, who were both wearing judicial robes, approached members of the arrest team in the public hallway. Judge A’s courtroom is located adjacent to Judge DUGAN’s courtroom. Witnesses uniformly reported that Judge DUGAN was visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor. Judge DUGAN addressed Deportation Officer A and asked if Deportation Officer A was present for a court appearance. When Deportation Officer A responded, “no,” Judge DUGAN stated that Deportation Officer A would need to leave the courthouse. Deportation Officer A stated that Deportation Officer A was there to effectuate an arrest. Judge DUGAN asked if Deportation Officer A had a judicial warrant, and Deportation Officer A responded, “No, I have an administrative warrant.” Judge DUGAN stated that Deportation Officer A needed a judicial warrant. Deportation Officer A told Judge DUGAN that Deportation Officer A was in a public space and had a valid immigration warrant. Judge DUGAN asked to see the administrative warrant, and Deportation Officer A offered to show it to her. Judge DUGAN then demanded that Deportation Officer A speak with the Chief Judge. Judge DUGAN then had a similar interaction with FBI Agent B and CBP Officer A. After finding out that they were not present for a court appearance and that they were with ICE, Judge DUGAN ordered them to report to the Chief Judge’s office.
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Multiple witnesses have described their observations after Judge DUGAN returned to her courtroom after directing members of the arrest team to the Chief Judge’s office. For example, the courtroom deputy recalled that upon the courtroom deputy’s return to the courtroom, defense counsel for Flores-Ruiz was talking to the clerk, and Flores-Ruiz was seated in the jury box, rather than in the gallery. The courtroom deputy believed that counsel and the clerk were having an off-the-record conversation to pick the next court date. Defense counsel and Flores-Ruiz then walked toward each other and toward the public courtroom exit. The courtroom deputy then saw Judge DUGAN get up and heard Judge DUGAN say something like “Wait, come with me.”
Despite having been advised of the administrative warrant for the arrest of Flores-Ruiz, Judge DUGAN then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the “jury door,”which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse. These events were also unusual for two reasons. First, the courtroom deputy had previously heard Judge DUGAN direct people not to sit in the jury box because it was exclusively for the jury’s use. Second, according to the courtroom deputy, only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the jury door.
Rather than look at the facts of the case, the Left has decided to -- once more -- elevate to martyr one of the worst possible actors.
Here are just a few of the Democratic Party's responses:
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called it an 'attack on the judiciary.'
My statement regarding the arrest of a Milwaukee County judge today. pic.twitter.com/gU50NFcwHu
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) April 25, 2025
State Assemblyman Ryan Clancy (representing the deep-blue East side of Milwaukee) said it's our 'civic duty' to 'fight fascism' by obstructing federal law enforcement officers:
Rep Ryan Clancy: “What Judge Dugan apparently did was what all of us should be doing."
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) April 26, 2025
pic.twitter.com/UQz0UmhaiF
To clarify: Rep. Clancy thinks it's your civic duty to get charged with felony obstruction. Not his.
Others compared Judge Dugan to the Germans who hid Jews from the Nazis:
BREAKING: The FBI has arrested Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping an immigrant avoid capture.
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 25, 2025
History lesson: In 1944, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman were arrested and sent to concentration camps for the "crime" of hiding Anne Frank and her family.
Maybe if… pic.twitter.com/4HlnSkspce
Chuck Schumer said there 'are no kings' in America:
There are no kings in America.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 25, 2025
Trump and Bondi can't just decide to arrest sitting judges at will and threaten judges into submission.
This is a dangerous escalation, an attack on the separation of powers, and we will fight this with everything we have.
Amy Klobuchar, despite admitting she doesn't have all the facts, called the arrest a 'threat to the rule of law:'
This is not normal.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) April 25, 2025
The Administration's arrest of a sitting judge in Wisconsin is a drastic move that threatens the rule of law.
While we don’t have all the details, this is a grave step and undermines our system of checks and balances.
Well, now we have the facts. In a sworn criminal complaint from FBI Special Agent Lindsay Schloemer, and signed by the judge who authorized Judge Dugan's arrest. While Judge Dugan enjoys the presumption of innocence, it's clear she intended to obstruct ICE and interfere with their arrest of Flores Ruiz.
That's a crime.
Yet not one of the aforementioned Democrats has come back and said, 'Yes, it's clear Judge Dugan broke the law and should face consequences for it.' If there is a Democrat who wants Judge Dugan to face justice, I've yet to find him.
For so long, the Left simply ignored laws they didn't like, to the point where now enforcing the laws seems tyrannical to them. That's not Donald Trump's fault.
There are numerous examples of the Left abusing the judicial system to reward its allies and punish its enemies: the FACES Act being used against pro-life activists while BLM/ANTIFA rioters walk free, the Manhattan case against Trump, the unfair sentences of January 6 defendants, the IRS harassment of conservative non-profits, the threats to schools that didn't bend the knee to gender ideology.
And for the whole of the Biden administration, they didn't enforce immigration laws. They flew illegals to various cities and threatened governors -- like Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott -- who fought back. Again, they were warned about the risks of ignoring immigration laws.
The Left opened this can of worms and I -- along with many others -- warned them what would happen when the other side took power and played by those same rules.
I was right. I don't like it, but it's the reality of the situation. And Democrats keep proving me right.
When President Trump began deporting illegal immigrants and the Left screamed about due process, it was hard to take them seriously. They chose to ignore the warnings, after all.
Now they have a golden opportunity to show they believe in the rule of law, even when inconvenient to their political ideology. They could send a message to President Trump and the voters that due process and law and order are still values that the Democratic Party holds.
They won't do it.
And they never will.
Because, fundamentally, they don't believe in the rule of law, due process, or the Constitution. They see both as a hindrance to their power and control, which is why they play Calvinball with our laws.
