Working as a law clerk to Eighth Circuit Judge Myron Bright, I accompanied him to many of his engagements outside the court. He was a pioneer in the judge-in-residence programs that many law schools have implemented. Speaking at St. Louis University Law School’s first such program in 1980 or so, Judge Bright recounted a Hollywood party he attended with his wife, Fritzie. He was seated next to Tina Louise, who had become a star, if not the main attraction, on Gilligan’s Island. Judge Bright told the law students that at one point Fritzie leaned over and whispered to him, “Don’t get too judgey, judge.” She was advising him to keep his head screwed on straight despite the temptations of high public office.
Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan could benefit from the opposite advice. Jonathan Turley tells the story of her conviction of felony obstruction in federal court last week. He has the details, including these:
Monica Isham, a circuit judge in Sawyer County, not only defended Judge Hannah Dugan in an email to other state judges but added that she “has no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by [Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents] and sent to a concentration camp.”
Dozens of judges signed statements in support of Dugan, including Judge Michael Luttig, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Ret.).
What a disgrace. Professor Turley himself adds: “I strongly disagreed with those views, excusing the clearly injudicious and unlawful conduct of Judge Dugan.” One can only hope that the prospect of her sentence prompts Judge Dugan to discover the meaning of judicial office in our democratic republic.
