Free Republic

Prosecutors in Wisconsin have just filed an unusual document with a court: They explained that just because a person is a judge, that doesn’t mean she gets a free pass to break the law. That earlier was the stunning claim from Hannah Dugan, a now-suspended judge, arguing that prosecutors weren’t even allowed to bring a case against her after evidence showed she distracted federal agents, then let an illegal alien criminal walk out of the courthouse. Dugan’s claim was that she has absolutely immunity for whatever she does in her courtroom – even in the courthouse building. A report at...

The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group in a case centered on unemployment tax credits for religious institutions – delivering a victory for faith-based institutions, who had argued the state's decision had violated the religious clauses under the First Amendment. In a unanimous opinion, justices on the high court agreed that the state had engaged in an "unnecessary entanglement" in attempting to define whether religious groups should be entitled to an otherwise-available tax exemption based on the state’s criteria for religious behavior. "When the government distinguishes among religions based on theological differences in their provision...

Residents living across a huge area spanning three states have been warned of dangerous air pollution levels on Tuesday. Swathes of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin are all affected by poor air quality, with an area around Minneapolis covered by one of the most severe warnings. Smoke from wildfires, combined with the current weather conditions, have contributed to the pollution. Why It Matters Health officials warn that vulnerable populations — such as children, older adults and individuals with existing respiratory issues — face heightened risks during periods of poor air quality. Even healthy members of the general public may experience health...

A bipartisan group of more than 130 retired judges filed a brief Friday urging a federal court to drop charges against Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan, saying her arrest undermines "centuries of precedent on judicial immunity." Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit court judge, was arrested April 25 by FBI agents on federal allegations she prevented the arrest of a man by immigration authorities during a federal law enforcement operation at her courthouse. The man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, was arrested and detained at an immigration detention center. In an amicus brief filed Friday, the group of judges argue that Dugan shouldn't be prosecuted...

MADISON, WI -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended Dane County Judge Ellen Berz for a week following a complaint brought by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. Berz will be suspended without pay starting June 26. The Commission alleged that Berz violated multiple parts of the Code of Judicial Ethics and then admitted to said violations. The Commission specifically referenced two incidents, one on May 31, 2019 and another on Dec. 13, 2021, in its complaint against Berz. During the 2019 incident, Berz allegedly used sarcasm towards a defendant and admonished him for asking to move a trial date saying...

A private attorney who worked as an attorney and public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced she is running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The announcement follows another former Planned Parenthood’s successful bid to be elected to the same state Supreme Court earlier this year. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor is running to unseat current Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is running for reelection. Taylor has spent her career as a private attorney, judge, state legislator, and an attorney and pubic policy director for Planned Parenthood. She implied she may not...

Friday, in a clip that aired on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Big” was unacceptable in its current form, as passed by the House of Representatives. Johnson told a reporter on Capitol Hill, “I couldn’t care less if he’s upset. I’m concerned about my children, my grandchildren, and the fact that we are stealing from them. We are stealing from our children and grandchildren. $37 trillion in debt, and we’re going to add to it as Republicans? That is unacceptable.” He added, “And that’s why there’s no way I’m going to...

Hannah Dugan’s supporters have created a legal defense fund to fight what the group calls an “unprecedented attack on the independent judiciary by the federal government” as the judge fights charges she interfered with immigration officers. The defense fund also announced today Dugan intends to return to the Milwaukee County bench. In anticipation of that, there will be a series of restrictions on donations, including no contributions from Milwaukee County residents or any parties with matters pending before the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Dugan’s case has drawn national attention. Ahead of her announcement, legal observers expected a legal defense fund...

GOP senators have raised concerns about the deficit impact of the emerging package, as well as the cuts to Medicaid and clean energy funding. WASHINGTON — As House Republicans scramble to corral the votes to pass a massive bill for President Donald Trump's agenda, their Senate counterparts are making clear the emerging package won’t fly as written when it reaches them.Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., was categorical that the product coming out of various House committees cannot pass the Senate as it currently stands.“No. We’ll make changes,” Hoeven said. “We’ve been talking with the House and there’s a lot of things...

The Wisconsin judge accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest by ICE in her courtroom entered a not guilty plea Thursday in federal court. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on federal charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of justice following the alleged incident involving Eduardo Flores-Ruiz last month. Around 200 protesters were demonstrating Thursday outside the federal courthouse in Milwaukee ahead of her court appearance. A trial date has now been set for July 21. The indictment accused Dugan of "falsely" telling federal officials in April that...

A federal grand jury indicted a Wisconsin circuit court judge on Tuesday, who was arrested last month for allegedly shielding an illegal immigrant from federal agents. Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding on April 25, after evidence became known that she had shielded an illegal immigrant from federal agents, according to a criminal complaint. She was also charged with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest. Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury after listening to testimony regarding charges that she allegedly tried to help an illegal alien escape...

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., has a message for the “anonymous” person who made a “credible threat” against his family: “You will not intimidate me.” Still, the Wisconsin Republican says the specificity of the latest threat against his wife, children, and grandchildren forced him to cancel an online town hall session last week and miss several votes as he rushed back to his southwest Wisconsin home to make sure his loved ones were safe. Van Orden said the letter, sent to his Washington, D.C. office, was immediately reported to the appropriate authorities. The lawmaker’s congressional colleague, Rep. Bryan Steil, a...

MADISON, Wis. -- The father of the 15-year-old girl who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School last December, killing two people and injuring six more is in custody, online records show. According to online data provided by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Jeffrey Rupnow was booked into the Dane County Jail on Thursday. Madison police confirmed the arrest, and said Rupnow was taken into custody at around 3:45 a.m. Online court records show he was formally charged Wednesday with two counts of intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 and one felony count of contributing to...

​Robert O’Neill, the SEAL member who killed Osama bin Laden during a raid on the terrorist’s Pakistan lair in 2011​, called President Biden a “disaster” and ​urged Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to resign over the catastrophe caused by the US military pullout in Afghanistan. “So, @POTUS is a disaster,” the former SEAL said on Twitter. “This is the worst loss in American history. Our most popular president has vanished. Prove me wrong.” He added: “Joe Biden opposed the raid to kill bin Laden. At least he lost Afghanistan in 7 months.” O’Neill also ​had Milley​...

A “credible threat” made against Rep. Derrick Van Orden's family prompted the Wisconsin Republican to miss votes on Wednesday and reschedule a town hall event. "Rep. Van Orden will be missing votes tomorrow and rescheduling his upcoming town hall due to a credible threat made against his wife, children, and grandchildren," the congressman's press office said in a statement on X. "The threat was delivered via a letter to his D.C. office and has been reported to the appropriate authorities. "No elected official, regardless of political party affiliation, should have to worry about the safety of their family while serving...

In his research into the Wisconsin Election Commission's (WEC) voter registration database, Andrew Paquette found that the frequency of voter ID numbers ending in zero was 30.6%. The frequency for every other numeral being the last digit of an ID was 7.7%. If the numbers were issued either sequentially or randomly each numeral would have a 10% chance of showing up as the last numeral in each ID in the database. Looking deeper into this anomaly, Paquette found that every voter ID record ending in zero had two different Wisconsin voters assigned the same voter ID number. This is evidence...

A Wisconsin woman who disappeared more than 60 years ago has been found alive by authorities. Audrey Backeberg left her Reedsburg home in July 1962 when she was 20 years old, a press release from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said. During a review of cold cases earlier this year, a detective reassessed the initial evidence and re-interviewed several witnesses, Sheriff Chip Meister said in the release. Law enforcement departments across the country have been reviewing cold cases with the aid of new DNA technology, including the self-submit websites such as Ancestry.com. As such sites have expanded, so have the...

The man arrested by immigration authorities in Milwaukee - despite a Wisconsin judge’s alleged attempt to shield him - is being held in a neighboring county’s jail as controversy continues to swirl around the case.Eduardo Flores Ruiz, 30, was locked up in the Ozaukee County Jail awaiting further court action as of April 30.He is accused of injuring three people in a recent domestic dispute, online records show.The Mexico native is the defendant whom Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of assisting in an April 18 incident at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.Flores Ruiz appeared at the court for a hearing...

MADISON, Wis. -- A Florida man who was found to have communicated with the Abundant Life Christian School shooter was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a law enforcement facility. According to the arrest affidavit Damien Blade Allen and the 15-year-old girl who police say opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in December, killing two and injuring six, exchanged messages for months over TikTok. A joint investigation between FBI and US revealed Damien Blade Allen allegedly conspired with other individuals online to commit mass violence. Allen was also arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer. He allegedly...

Following her arrest for assisting a criminal illegal alien attempting to avoid capture, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended Judge Hannah Dugan from all judicial proceedings.MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, saying Tuesday that it is in the public interest to relieve her of her duties as she faces two federal charges.[…] In its two-page order, the state Supreme Court said it was acting on its own initiative and not responding to a request from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3.[…] She is set to appear...