MILWAUKEE — Jury selection for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan's federal trial was completed in approximately four hours, with Federal Judge Lynn Adelman narrowing down a pool of 70 to 80 potential jurors to 14. Twelve will be seated with two serving as alternates.
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Dugan is facing charges of obstruction and concealing an undocumented immigrant to evade arrest by ICE agents.
The case stems from an incident in April involving Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant who was scheduled to appear in Dugan's court. Flores Ruiz eventually pleaded guilty in September to being in the U.S. illegally and was deported Nov. 14.
The selection process involved routine questioning by the judge, lawyers and prosecution called voir dire. Potential jurors were asked about scheduling conflicts and whether they had been to the county courthouse.
Watch: Jury seated in federal trial of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan
The questioning went deeper, stemming from questionnaires each person filled out that explored their views on immigration enforcement and law enforcement. About a dozen potential jurors were called into the judge's chambers individually for more personal questioning.
The goal was to determine whether each juror can put bias aside and be fair and impartial.
Dugan appeared in court with her legal team during the proceedings. She has pleaded not guilty and maintained from the beginning that she did nothing wrong.
"The judge is going to keep an eye out, making sure the jury is attentive. People get tired. Sometimes the judge will have the jury stand up a little bit, take a little stretch break, but my sense would be that this will be a big job of just keeping the mechanism moving in an efficient manner," said David Jones, a former federal magistrate judge.
Judge Adelman reminded the jury not to let outside factors influence their decision and not to communicate with anyone about the nature of the case until after a verdict.
The trial will begin Monday with opening statements from both parties. Around two dozen witnesses will be called to testify. Proceedings begin at 9 a.m.
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