A judge in the US state of Wisconsin has been found guilty of obstruction for trying to help a Mexican man evade immigration officials during an arrest attempt.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April after ushering Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeanour battery charges, out of her courtroom through a side door.
An immigration judge had issued a warrant for his arrest.
The judge’s conviction marks a win for the Trump administration and supporters, who have sought to portray the judge as indicative of a politicised justice system.
Dugan faces up to five years in prison for the obstruction charge, according to US media reports.
The judge had pleaded not guilty to charges of obstructing a criminal proceeding, and concealing a person from arrest, which the jury found her not guilty for.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
On 18 April, Flores-Ruiz appeared in the Milwaukee court for a scheduled hearing.
Six officers from the FBI, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and the Drug Enforcement Agency were at the court to arrest him.
According to an FBI affidavit, Dugan became became “visibly angry” over the type of arrest warrant that had been issued and had told the officers to report to the chief judge.
While they were there, Dugan ushered directed Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer to a private exit used for jury members.
Still, they did not escape. Immigration agents caught them, and Flores-Ruiz was later deported.
“All she did was send him out into the hallway with his lawyer,” Dugan’s lawyer Steven Biskupic told the jury during the trial.
After the conviction, her legal team maintained her innocence.
“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter,” the judge’s team said in a statement.
Reacting to the news, Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the judge had “betrayed her oath” when she “obstructed federal law enforcement during an immigration enforcement operation”.
“Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and sent a clear message: the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law. This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account – even those who wear robes,” Blanche wrote on X.
