Judge Hannah Dugan trial: Jury seated, trial set to begin Monday
Updated: 3:52 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2025
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Thursday afternoon, Dec. 11, nine men and five women were seated in trial of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. The jury was sworn in and then excused.
Dugan's trial will begin Monday at 9 a.m. and is expected to attract national attention for its potential impact on immigration issues and judicial responsibility.
Updated: 2:15 p.m. Dec. 11, 2025
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – On Thursday afternoon, Dec. 11, federal Judge Lynn Adelman sided with media outlets who objected to private questioning of potential jury members.
For much of the morning, potential jurors were asked about their ability to remain impartial. Several potential jurors said they had conflicts that were “personal.”
Those people were taken into the judge’s private chambers to be questioned by the opposing legal teams. Though it was possible to share audio of those meetings with the media, the microphone was cut for all interactions with potential jurors.
Traditionally, the questioning of potential jurors has been public while maintaining anonymity. Reasons why a person was dismissed can explain the makeup of the jury or the tactics the legal team may pursue. For example, striking a potential juror because they have to work during the trial is different than striking someone if they had been the victim of a crime.
Brian Spahn, attorney with Godfrey Kahn in Milwaukee, filed an official challenge on behalf of Gannett Co. and Hearst Television.
Judge Adelman sided with the media over the objections of both parties.
The audio feed was active when private questioning resumed in the afternoon in the judge’s chambers.
Published: 9:35 a.m. on Dec. 11, 2025
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – The highly-anticipated federal trial of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is underway in downtown Milwaukee.
For two days, starting Thursday, Dec. 11, dozens of potential jurors from throughout the eastern district of Wisconsin will register and fill out questionnaires.
The pool will be whittled down to a sitting jury and alternates who will hear testimony starting Monday, Dec. 15.
Potential jurors started lining up outside the federal courthouse at 7:30 a.m. and started going through security when the building opened shortly before 8 a.m. Once inside, they signed in and filled out paperwork in a different courtroom from where the trial will be held.
Dugan arrived shortly before 8:15 a.m. She sat with four of her attorneys at the defense table and wore a black blazer over a maroon blouse.
Courtroom sketch: Adela Tesnow
Judge Lynn Adelman brought the first batch of about 50 potential jurors into the courtroom at 9:31 a.m. Though demographically diverse, the first group of potential jurors was mostly white men. Dugan acknowledged them as they filed in.
Present on behalf of the U.S. government were First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Frohling and Assistant U.S. attorneys Keith Alexander and Kelly Watzka.
Present at Dugan’s defense table were Steven Biskupic, a former U.S. attorney who was appointed by President George W. Bush, and Nicole Masnica and Jason Luczak, Milwaukee attorneys who specialize in criminal and white-collar defense.
Judge Adelman read aloud some of the witnesses that may be called during the trial to see if the potential jurors had any conflicts of interest.
Among the potential witnesses are FBI special agents, ICE deportation officers, DEA officers, Milwaukee County Circuit Court judges, attorneys and public defenders, and court reporters and court administrators.
Of note, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, the man Dugan is accused of concealing, was not listed by the judge as a potential witness.
The two sides have been very active ahead of the trial, filing several motions over evidence, witnesses, even individual words and definitions.
But Judge Adelman has yet to rule on many of the motions, and uniform jury instructions are still undecided.
Jury selection is expected to continue into Friday, Dec. 12.
Adelman told the potential jurors he’s “reasonably certain” the trial will finish sometime next week, perhaps in “four or five days.” He told them, “I tend to move things along as fast as I can.”