Former judges condemn the arrest of the Trump government of the court of Wisconsin

More than 150 former state and federal judges have one letter To Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, who condemns the escalating battles of the Trump government with the judiciary and the recent arrest of a court judge in Milwaukee an attempt to intimidate.

The judge, Hannah C. Dugan of the Circuit Court of Milwaukee County, was arrested in April by FBI agents on accusation of hindering immigration resources. Judge Dugan is accused of leading an immigrant without papers to leave in her courtroom through a side door while agents waited to arrest him.

The group of judges signing the letter was led by Nancy Gertner, a former federal judge, and J. Michael Luttig, a former assistant -processor -general and federal court. The former federal judges who signed the letter include them appointed by members of both political parties. Mrs. Gertner was appointed by President Bill Clinton and Mr. Luttig was appointed as both roles by President George HW Bush.

“The circumstances of the arrest of Judge Dugan make it clear that it was nothing but an attempt to threaten and intimidate the state and federal judiciary to submit to the administration, instead of interpreting the constitution and laws of the United States,” the letter said. “This cynical effort undermines the rule of law and destroys the confidence that the American people have in the judges of the nation to manage justice in the court and halls of justice throughout the country.”

On social media last month, Kash Patel, the FBI director, posted a photo of Judge Dugan in handcuffs, a movement that called the group of judges ‘an embarrassing spectacle’ that violated the policy of the Ministry of Justice.

Asked for the letter from the former judges, Chad Gilmartin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, referred to a video by Mrs Bondi who commented last month on the case of Judge Dugan.

“It doesn’t matter which work you are, if you break the law, we will follow the facts and we will prosecute you,” said Mrs. Bondi in the video.

The letter was supported by the non -profit organization watchdog Group Democracy Defenders Fund, which was founded by standard requirements, a former ethical officer in the Obama government.

“The attack on Judge Dugan is a shocking abuse of power. This is not just an attack on one person. It gets into the heart of what it means to have an independent judiciary, therefore these more than 150 judges speak out,” said the Lord demands.

The Society for the Rule of Law Institute, one group Founded in 2023 by conservative and libertarian lawyers and judges, the letter also supported the letter.

Last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge Dugan suspended from her position as a circuit judge, while the case is moving forward. In one Order of two pagesThe court wrote that the suspension was necessary “to maintain the trust of the public in the courts of this state.”

A provisional hearing in the case of Judge Dugan is scheduled for 15 May. In a statement, a lawyer said before Judge Dugan that she “will defend herself vigorously” and be seen to be acquitted.