Federal Judge Lynn Adelman denied hannah dugan's request for a new trial or a judgment of acquittal on Monday. The ruling keeps her December felony conviction in place for now and moves the case toward an appeal.
Adelman Order Monday
Adelman issued a 39-page order explaining the decision. In it, he wrote, "In any event, defendant fails to show that my response to the jury's second question was wrong," and added that "the defense fails to demonstrate that she was prejudiced by the one I gave."
Dugan was convicted in December after a jury found her guilty of obstructing federal immigration officials attempting to make an immigration arrest inside the courthouse. The jury also found her not guilty on one count of concealing a fugitive.
Defense Plans Appeal
The defense argued that Adelman's answers to several jury questions during deliberations were improper. One question asked whether Dugan needed to know the identity of the man agents were planning to arrest in order to be found guilty, and Adelman answered yes to the first count of concealing a fugitive and no to the second count.
After the ruling, Dugan's defense team said, "We continue to maintain that Hannah Dugan acted lawfully and within her independent authority as a judge," and, "The inconsistent jury verdicts demonstrate that the trial proceedings were flawed, and we plan to appeal." Steve Biskupic is the defense attorney named in the case.
The denial leaves the conviction intact while the defense prepares its appeal. Adelman's order addressed both one new trial and one judgment of acquittal, closing off the immediate challenge in the trial court.
