Activists, officials gather outside of Milwaukee courthouse to protest Judge Hannah Dugan’s arrest

Protesters held signs reading “Oppose Tyranny,” “Drop the Charges on Dugan,” “No Due Process, No Peace,” “Hannah Dugan is My Hero,” and signs criticizing President Donald Trump. Demonstrators also linked arms and chanted, “No justice. No peace. Let the judge be released.”

Elizabeth Kessler, a Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commissioner, was among those protesting and expressed outrage over Dugan’s arrest.

“If we don’t stand up for the institutions of our government we’re going to lose them," she claimed, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Judge Dugan appeared before US Magistrate Judge Stephen C. Dries for a hearing and has been charged with two felonies. She was arrested by the FBI on obstruction charges for allegedly interfering with a federal immigration operation on April 18.

Federal authorities were attempting to detain Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant facing three misdemeanor battery charges, when Dugan allegedly helped him and his attorney exit her courtroom as ICE agents arrived to arrest him.

FBI Director Kash Patel explained in a post Friday, “Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week. We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest. 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. We will have more to share soon.”

Dugan’s actions have been praised by left-wing activists, many of whom have denounced her arrest as an act of fascism despite the allegations of illegal behavior. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar posted on X that the arrest was a “drastic move that threatens the rule of law.” In response, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice, replied, “No one is above the law, senator,” echoing a phrase Democrats frequently used against President Donald Trump during the multiple legal fights brought against him leading up to his election as president.