Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan trial; day 2 recap

MILWAUKEE - "Mortified and embarrassed."

That’s how another county judge says she felt after confronting a handful of federal agents alongside Judge Hannah Dugan. The agents were at the courthouse to arrest an undocumented man outside of his criminal court hearing.

What we know:

Day two of Judge Dugan’s trial brought nine witnesses.

Day two of the Hannah Dugan trial wrapped up Tuesday, with the first piece of key testimony coming from Milwaukee County Judge Kristela Cervera. Cervera, who is a courtroom neighbor of Judge Dugan at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, appeared vulnerable on the stand.

She told the jury she felt mortified upon learning what happened and the fact that she could have played a role in it. Her direct quote to the jury was, "Judges shouldn’t be helping defendants evade arrests."

Cervera also appeared irritated, saying she was upset that Judge Dugan — someone with more experience — had pulled her into the situation and then returned to her calendar before she did.

Then, Sergeant David DeSmet with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office Court Division agreed with the defense during cross-examination. He testified that judges do have the authority to direct people in their courtrooms — including which tables to use and which exits to take. He also said judges can take certain actions when safety is a concern.

Dig deeper:

On the issue of safety, every federal agent who took the stand told the jury the arrest would have been safer had it gone as planned. That is, had Judge Dugan not intercepted some of the agents outside her courtroom and directed them to the office of Chief Judge Carl Ashley.

At the same time, the defense continued to question the credibility of the federal government’s witnesses, especially the federal agents. Customs and Border Patrol deportation officer Joseph Zuraw testified Tuesday that he told another agent, "Get your a** back in the hallway," after learning Eduardo Flores-Ruiz’s case would be called much earlier than expected.

The defense pointed out Zuraw never included that statement in his written report. When the agent Zuraw said he made the comment to later testified, he told the jury it did not happen.

That concludes day two of testimony.

What's next:

Looking ahead to Wednesday, the government told the judge it plans to work to "get everybody in." After that, the defense will be able to present its case.