‘We Are Prosecuting You’: With 2nd Arrest, Bondi Signals War With Judiciary
Arrest of Milwaukee judge sparks outrage, protest
The arrest of a second judge in as many days in connection with the Trump administration’s ongoing program of mass deportations of migrants in the United States signals a new attack by the administration on the judiciary which has been often standing in the way of Trump’s authoritarian agenda.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said as much in an appearance on Fox News in the immediate aftermath of the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan Friday outside of the courthouse where she works.
The Trump administration said that Dugan was arrested for helping illegally allow an undocumented migrant sought by federal agents to try to escape. The migrant in question was apprehended by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The arrest of Dugan follows the apprehension the day before of a former judge in New Mexico and his wife in another immigration-related case.
These arrests are only the beginning, according to Bondi.
“We are going to prosecute you and we are prosecuting you,” she said of judges who oppose the administration’s deportation efforts.
It’s highly outside the norm for law enforcement officials like Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to publicly comment on the case and criticize a defendant. (Patel subsequently deleted his social media post talking about Dugan and her arrest.)
A number of legal experts and political leaders condemned Dugan’s arrest.
“In the United States, we have a system of checks and balances and separations of power for damn good reasons. The President’s administration arresting a sitting judge is a gravely serious and drastic move, and it threatens to breach those very separations of power,” Sen Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis) said in a statement. “Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country and we are a Democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by. By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this President is putting those basic Democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line. While details of this exact case remain minimal, this action fits into the deeply concerning pattern of this President's lawless behavior and undermining courts and Congress's checks on his power.”
Joyce Vance, a prominent legal analyst and US attorney in the Obama administration, particularly took Bondi to task for her public comments.
“No attorney general should ever speak like this. She's Trump's advocate, not the people's lawyer, which is what the AG's job is,” Vance posted on social media. “Whatever state she is barred in should start disciplinary proceedings immediately. This isn't subtle or arguable, it's wrong.”
Andrew Weismann, another prominent legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, also took aim at the Trump administration’s behavior.
“So there has been a violation here that we know for sure, and it is not the judge. That’s something that remains to be proved,” Weismann said in an appearance on MSNBC. “The thing that we do know is that the FBI director violated [Justice Department] policy” by giving personal opinions about someone who has been charged.
The case against Dugan is not likely to hold up in court, he added.
“Why would you possibly do this? And the answer is: ‘Because we want to send a signal to the judiciary,’ and that’s what you shouldn’t be doing,” Weismann said. “I mean, that is fighting the last branch of government to oppose the executive branch.”
Meanwhile, a protest erupted in Minneapolis, Minn, in opposition to the arrest of Dugan.
The event took place outside of the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.
Video of the protest is available here:
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