Judges Are Slowing Down Trumpā€™s Fascist Deportation Regime. Now Heā€™s Arresting Them For It.
theintercept.com
In the absence of opposition party challenges and disempowered labor, courts are one of the few sites of meaningful pushback on Trumpā€™s agenda.

Judges Are Slowing Down Trumpā€™s Fascist Deportation Regime. Now Heā€™s Arresting Them For It.

The FBI arrestedĀ a sitting judge in a Milwaukee County court in Wisconsin on Friday, claiming that she obstructed immigration enforcement agents from detaining an undocumented immigrant in her courtroom.

Milwaukee County Circuit CourtĀ Judge Hannah Duganā€™s arrestĀ is not only the latest escalation in Donald Trumpā€™s fascist deportation program, it also marks the administrationā€™s eagerness to take aim at any and all constraints on its power to act.

ā€œWe believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse,ā€Ā FBI director Kash Patel in a post on X. Patel added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ā€œchased down the perp on foot and heā€™s been in custody since.ā€

In the absence of opposition party challenges and disempowered labor, courts are one of the few sites of meaningful pushback on Trumpā€™s agenda.

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250425202345/https://theintercept.com/2025/04/25/judge-arrest-trump-immigrants-deport/

Less and less land of the free, more and more home of the brave.

Itā€™s over boys. Itā€™s second amendment or nothing now.

  • mkwt@lemmy.world
    43Ā·
    23 days ago

    This local judge appeared before a federal magistrate, and was released on her own recognizance, while the feds seek an indictment from a grand jury.

    Judges, like anyone, are capable of committing crimes, and they should be held to account when they do.

    Having said that, it seems that the facts alleged in this complaint may not really fit the charge of obstruction, but itā€™s not very clear one way or the other. On one hand, this judge allegedly directed ICEā€™s target to exit through a jury room after his court appearance before her. This avoided the trap that ICE had set up in the hallway. On the other hand, she arguably enjoys a high level of deference on how she manages the logistics of her courtroom (such as how various people enter and exit). ICE held an administrative warrant only, which arguably did not entitle them to enter the not-fully-public space of the courtroom (and indeed they did not attempt to). ICE ultimately did arrest their guy outside some 22 minutes later.

    My prediction: Assuming this judge properly shuts up and lawyers up, this case quietly fizzles after a while. Of course, DOJ can still accomplish their goal of intimidating the judiciary.

    • kingofras@lemmy.worldOP
      26Ā·
      23 days ago

      I can tell youā€™ve got a very analytical mind, and youā€™re probably NeuroDiverse like all the rest of us here, but I think youā€™re wrong. The local judge is not gonna go down silently and neither should anyone in that God forsaken 50 state country.

      These are all carefully orchestrated steps. Something they can misconstrue later and make sure people support the suspension of the judiciary, and the invoking of Martial law.