Milwaukee County Judge Dugan arrested; what's next for courthouse policy?
Milwaukee County judge arrested; courthouse policy questions
Right now, leaders are weighing what's next for Milwaukee County's justice system after the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan.
MILWAUKEE - Right now, leaders are weighing what's next for Milwaukee County's justice system after the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan.
She's accused of trying to help a man escape federal immigration enforcement.
What's next?
What we know:
For now, a retired judge is filling in for Dugan’s cases inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
In just a few weeks, Dugan herself will have to answer to the charges against her down the road at the federal courthouse.
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Milwaukee County Judge Dugan arrested; supporters, critics speak out
Following Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan's public arrest, the community support for her is showing no signs of slowing down.
Milwaukee County leaders are grappling with what's next for courthouse security after the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan inside.
"We’re all concerned about how it transpired, okay. That’s not a comfortable situation for any person to have an experience like that. Whether that process was necessary or not. I’m not going to go any further than that," said Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley.
Judge Hannah Dugan in handcuffs
The criminal complaint says Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was in Judge Dugan's court, accused of domestic violence.
That's when the feds showed up to arrest him, Dugan is accused of escorting Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out through a non-public area of the courthouse.
Agents say they had to chase him down to arrest him.
Working on a policy
What they're saying:
Chief Judge Carl Ashley is still working on a policy about how to handle federal immigration agents in the courthouse.
When FOX6's Jason Calvi asked Chief Judge Carl Ashley about when a policy could be in place, Ashley responded, "Well, we’re working on it again, now, so hopefully, soon."
Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley
"No timeline right now. This isn’t about speed, this is about getting a policy done the correct way," said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. "We’re talking about a courthouse which is a public building, our hallways are public, which happens in those courtrooms is a different situation."
"In a perfect world, we would have the opportunity to have a courthouse where people would never have to worry about coming there for their activities," said Chief Judge Carl Ashley. "But the reality is, there are legal parameters, which allow the government to effectuate warrants. And we’re not going to interfere with that."
Milwaukee County’s district attorney says he’s not helping with the draft policy. He adds the national immigration crackdown isn’t impacting his work.
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Milwaukee County Courthouse
"We often never know what the status of anyone is related to our cases. So our approach remains the same, as it would for any other case," said Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern.
For now, national attention stays focused on a Milwaukee County judge.
Former Republican Governor Scott Walker has suggested the possibility of the legislature removing Dugan.
Republicans FOX6 talked to said that they would have to wait until the legal process plays out.
The Source: FOX6 has extensively covered the arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Dugan, and interviewed local officials, including Chief Judge Carl Ashley, to produce this story.