Judge Dugan guilty of felony obstruction; case is far from over
Judge Dugan guilty of felony obstruction; case far from over
While a federal court jury reached a split verdict in the Judge Hannah Dugan trial on Thursday, Dec. 18, the case is far from over.
MILWAUKEE - While a federal court jury reached a split verdict in the Judge Hannah Dugan trial on Thursday, Dec. 18, the case is far from over.
Split verdict reached
What we know:
The jury entered its sixth hour of deliberations Thursday night – and then there was a knock at the jury door. The seven men and five women had a verdict.
Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan entered the court. Judge Lynn Adelman then read, not guilty to count one, and guilty on count two.
"The defendant exercised her constitutional right to put the government to its proof. We met that burden and the jury has found the defendant guilty," said Interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel.
Brad Schimel
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That brought to a close what began months before.
The backstory:
In May, a grand jury indicted Dugan for helping an undocumented man evade immigration agents waiting outside her county courtroom – a misdemeanor and felony obstruction of federal proceedings.
After months of planning, dozens of filings and a four-day trial that included 23 witnesses and more than 16 hours of testimony, there was a split verdict.
"I would just say the case is a long way from over," said Dugan's defense attorney, Steven Biskupic.
Dugan's defense team said Thursday night they were "disappointed." The jury had questions about the elements of both charges during deliberations.
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"You know, the same elements of count one are in count two. In count two, how can you find guilty there and not guilty on the first?" Biskupic asked.
Steven Biskupic
Adelman had yet to enter a judgment of conviction, and has set dates for post-trial motions.
Post-trial motions
What they're saying:
"It's is going to be a challenge to the verdict," former U.S. Attorney Jim Santelle told FOX6 News. "When you look at the underlying elements of the offense, they're virtually the same. and if the facts are known by the jury and the two counts are virtually the same, how can you come to a result that is different between the two."
It could set up a request for a new trial. But that, Santelle said, is a high burden to reach and ultimately it's likely the case will be appealed.
Milwaukee County Judge Dugan trial: Live updates Thursday, Dec. 18
A jury found Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan guilty on Thursday of a felony charge of obstructing federal agents at the courthouse earlier this year, but not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of helping an undocumented immigrant evade those agents who were there to arrest him.
The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.