A U.S. prosecutor told a jury today that a Wisconsin judge "crossed the line" when she allegedly helped a migrant appearing in her courtroom evade an immigration arrest, kicking off a trial that will test President Trump's efforts to punish alleged obstructions of his mass deportation efforts.
A lawyer defending Hannah Dugan, an elected judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, countered that the judge was following policy as Immigration and Customs Enforcement escalated operations in courthouses early in Trump's second term.
Dugan faces federal charges accusing her of concealing a person from arrest and obstructing federal proceedings. Dugan has pleaded not guilty to the charges, brought by Trump’s DOJ.
The rare trial of a sitting judge reflects tensions over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, including positioning federal agents in courthouses to make arrests. The DOJ has directed prosecutors to investigate activists and officials it accuses of hindering immigration operations.
Read more about the opening arguments from my colleagues Diana Novak Jones and Andrew Goudsward.
