On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) said that while she can’t say whether or not Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was interfering in an arrest, Dugan’s arrest was “continuing the assault on our judiciary” and she looks forward to her “being exonerated.”
Moore began by saying, “I can tell you that Judge Dugan is an outstanding jurist. And I, too, look forward to her defending herself vigorously and being exonerated. The jurisprudence and the guidance that all of us have subscribed to, and I certainly was helpful in crafting our legislation that indicated that ICE was not supposed to try to attack people in sensitive places, hospitals, churches, and the courtroom, which was an initiative of mine. Of course, we want people to come to the courthouse and not fear, when they come to the courthouse, that ICE will intervene in proceedings. We want people to get justice, whether they’re a victim or a perpetrator, for domestic violence. But, Judge Dugan, this was her courtroom. She certainly is not required to cooperate with ICE and our guidance and what we have been telling people is that they do not have to cooperate with ICE, they do not have to, that local officials, our police department, our sheriff’s department, our judicial system, we are not required to assist ICE and this was her courtroom.”
Host Kaitlan Collins then asked, “But it’s not just assisting. I think, obviously, what is at the center of this, when you read the charging document, is that, not only was she not assisting ICE, she was interfering with the immigration agents who were standing outside her courthouse — her courtroom, which was, they said, was a public space in the hallway. And, as you know, President Trump rescinded that order, and now, ICE can go into schools, hospitals, and courthouses if they so choose. And so, I guess the question when you look at this is, do you believe she was interfering in the arrest of this man?”
Moore responded, “I don’t have the ability to say whether she was or not. I do know that she has the authority of her courtroom, and that she will have her day in court. But I do know that Pam Bondi was just about giddy, the Attorney General, when she arrested Judge Dugan. Because I think that there was more value in intimidating the judiciary, in continuing the assault on our judiciary and pushing the envelope and the edges of what’s constitutional and what’s separation of powers to its edges. I do know that the only thing that has prevented us from falling into a constitutional crisis has been our judiciary. And Bondi’s assertion today and her arrest of Judge Dugan was a signal to the judiciary that you had better stay out of our way, because this authoritarian regime is going to continue doing what it’s doing. I just want to say one thing…this all happened on Good Friday. And I would say, as John Lewis, the late John Lewis would say, I’m glad that she got in good trouble on Good Friday.”
Later, Collins asked, “[I]f the ICE agents were waiting outside of the courtroom, in a public area, where they had told a bailiff, according to this document, that they were out there and they were waiting for the court hearing to be done, then they were going to execute on that arrest, and the judge finds out about that and interferes with that, if they can prove that she did this, do you believe she committed a crime here?”
Moore answered, “Well, you know what, this is not fair to ask me that question, because she has not had her day in court yet to litigate and to defend herself vigorously, which I think she will do. What you’re asking me to do is…to sort of not go along with what I believe is — because I think that ICE ought to operate and they ought to do it clearly, outside of her — not outside her courtroom, but maybe on the street, where they arrested him on the street was the appropriate place. They should not even have been in the courthouse as far as I’m concerned. And so, to say that they can arrest you in the cafeteria of the hospital, but not in your hospital room, this is slicing and dicing it in such a way where the Justice Department is determined to intimidate the judiciary. And I think that we need to fight back.”
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