The arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan under charges of helping an illegal alien evade ICE arrest drew national attention, particularly on legacy media where the matter was presented as proof evident of an escalation by President Trump. But it appears that there is far less interest in covering the indictment of Judge Dugan in federal court.
What coverage the story drew was limited to tiny briefs. Consider CBS:
https://www.mrctv.org/node/594068
CBS EVENING NEWS
5/15/25
6:35 PM
JOHN DICKERSON: And in Milwaukee, protesters marched outside a federal courthouse. Inside, state Judge Hannah Dugan pleaded not guilty to charges she helped an undocumented defendant evade immigration agents trying to arrest him. Dugan’s trial is set for July.
The story drew scant seconds for their daily roundup. The tiny brief provided the bare minimum when it comes to details of the case, notwithstanding their accurate description of the underlying offense. NBC went a little bit longer, in an add-on at the back of their report on the Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship and nationwide injunctions:
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
5/15/25
6:34 PM
LESTER HOLT: And Laura is here. There are new developments in the case of that Wisconsin judge who was just indicted.
LAURA JARRETT: Yes, Hannah Dugan making a brief appearance in court today, pleading not guilty. Remember, she's being charged with helping an undocumented man being escorted out of the courtroom so he could evade arrest. She’s now saying, Lester, she’s entitled to judicial immunity.
HOLT: All right. Laura, thanks.
NBC was kind of fuzzy as to the offense, but gave viewers an insight into Dugan’s legal theory.
ABC did not cover the story at all on World News Tonight, but did write it up for their website:
Attorneys for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan are seeking to dismiss her federal indictment on charges alleging she helped an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, claiming in a new court filing that she is immune from federal prosecution for official acts.
In the filing, Dugan's attorneys cite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in President Donald Trump's immunity case as support.
A federal grand jury indicted Dugan on Tuesday on charges she concealed a person from arrest and obstructed a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States.
Dugan appeared briefly in court Thursday morning. Her lawyers entered a plea of not guilty to the two federal charges.
Judge Dugan is claiming official acts immunity based on the Supreme Court opinion in Trump v. United States. Perhaps it is this bold theory which is compelling the media to skip the story. The alternative is to explain to viewers that the judge is claiming she performed an official act when she tried to shield an illegal alien wifebeater from certain deportation. Good luck with that.
