MILWAUKEE — Former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was sentenced Wednesday to pay a $5,000 fine but avoided prison time for obstructing an arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a courthouse last year.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled that while Dugan’s actions were unlawful, they stemmed from a moment of poor judgment motivated by frustration with the country’s immigration policies. During the incident, Dugan escorted a Mexican defendant through her jury room door as ICE agents attempted to apprehend him in a courthouse hallway. This interference prompted legal and political fallout.

Dugan resigned from her judicial position, which she held for nine years, in January amid mounting pressure and threats of impeachment from Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin. The charges against her centered on obstructing government officers, a federal offense that could have resulted in imprisonment.

At the hearing, Judge Adelman emphasized that the case reflected an isolated mistake by someone generally regarded as a good person acting spontaneously under emotional distress. The decision to impose a fine rather than a custodial sentence acknowledged the circumstances and Dugan’s prior service.

The episode drew significant attention to the tensions surrounding immigration enforcement within judicial settings and raised questions about the limits of judicial conduct when confronting contentious federal policies. It also underscored the political divisions in Wisconsin over immigration enforcement and the potential ramifications for public officials who take controversial stands.