A federal court has cleared the way for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan to stand trial on charges that she helped an undocumented migrant evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman on 26 August rejected Dugan’s bid to dismiss the indictment, ruling that judicial immunity does not shield state judges from criminal prosecution. Adelman said there was “no basis for granting immunity simply because some of the allegations in the indictment describe conduct that could be considered part of a judge’s job.” Prosecutors allege that on 18 April Dugan directed ICE officers away from her courtroom and escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a non-public exit after learning agents intended to arrest him for immigration violations. Flores-Ruiz was detained outside the courthouse after a brief chase. Dugan, 66, has pleaded not guilty to one felony count of obstruction and one misdemeanor count of concealing a person from arrest; conviction could carry up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended her from the bench while the case proceeds. Adelman scheduled a status hearing for 3 September, when Dugan’s lawyers are expected to say whether they will appeal the ruling to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If no appeal is filed, trial preparations could begin later this year. The case has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce immigration arrests inside state courthouses and underscores the limits of judicial immunity in criminal matters.