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Judges Gone Rogue: When the Law’s Guardians Betray Us

Judges Gone Rogue: When the Law’s Guardians Betray Us

Seated man with tattoos and gold chains in a courtroom, wearing a judge's robe and crown, appears serious. Others sit in the background.

Judges are the bedrock of justice, wielding a dominion that commands courtrooms, shapes lives, and upholds the law. Their gavels echo with untouchable authority, their robes a symbol of impartiality. But what happens when these guardians of justice use their sacred power to break the law? Two judges gone rogue—Joel Cano and Hannah Dugan—have done just that, committing felonies under the cloak of their titles, spitting in the face of the very system they swore to protect. Their crimes aren’t just personal failings; they’re a Molotov cocktail hurled at public safety and trust, exposing a judiciary teetering on the edge of corruption. As Democrats like Chuck Schumer wail about Trump acting like a “king,” their silence on these rogue judges reeks of hypocrisy. If judges can harbor fugitives or shield terrorists—ISIS members, Russian spies, Chinese operatives—who can we trust to uphold the law? It’s time to scream: enough is enough!


Joel Cano: Harboring Havoc

Joel Cano, a former Doña Ana County magistrate judge and ex-cop, didn’t just bend the law—he shattered it. From April 2024 to February 2025, Cano knowingly harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an undocumented Venezuelan, in his Las Cruces guesthouse, violating 8 U.S.C. § 1324, a felony carrying up to five years in prison. Court documents scream betrayal: Ortega-Lopez used Cano’s address for immigration papers, dined with his family, and lived openly as Cano’s legal training gathered dust. This wasn’t ignorance; Cano knew harboring was illegal, yet he did it anyway, flaunting his judicial dominion like a get-out-of-jail-free card.


It gets worse. Cano’s household gave Ortega-Lopez access to rifles—AR-15s, seized in a February 28, 2025, HSI raid—letting an undocumented man play with guns at a shooting range. Social media flaunts the evidence: Ortega-Lopez posing with firearms, a ticking time bomb under Cano’s roof. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s claim that Cano “gave” him “assault rifles” may stretch the truth, but the fact remains: a judge let a potential threat near deadly weapons. Whether Ortega-Lopez was a handyman or a Tren de Aragua gang member (alleged, not proven), Cano’s recklessness is a felony, plain and simple. His resignation and New Mexico’s judicial ban don’t erase the stain—he’s a law-breaking judge who gambled with our safety.

Hannah Dugan: Obstructing Justice

In Milwaukee, Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan took her dominion to another level, turning her courtroom into a stage for defiance. On April 18, 2025, she let Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican facing battery charges, slip out her jury door to dodge ICE agents. Court records burn with outrage: Dugan, “visibly angry,” called ICE’s presence “absurd,” demanded a judicial warrant, and deliberately obstructed a federal arrest, violating 18 U.S.C. § 1501 and § 1071. This wasn’t a legal debate; it was a calculated felony, her gavel wielded as a political weapon.


Dugan’s sanctuary city swagger reeks of agenda. Milwaukee’s progressive pulse fueled her anti-ICE stunt, a middle finger to Trump’s deportation push. She knew the law—obstructing officers is a crime—yet used her judicial throne to let a fugitive run. Her arrest on April 25, only the second of a sitting judge in U.S. history, sparked protests chanting “free the judge now,” but her defenders are blind. Dugan didn’t just break the law; she betrayed every citizen counting on impartial justice, trading her oath for ideological clout.

Public Safety: A Ticking Bomb

When judges break the law, public safety hangs by a thread. Cano’s harboring gave Ortega-Lopez a free pass to roam, potentially armed. What if he’d been a Russian spy, slipping secrets to Moscow? A Chinese operative, hacking our grid? An ISIS terrorist, plotting a bombing? The 2025 FBI report logged 700+ terror-related arrests—harboring could hide the next attacker, as Cano’s guesthouse hid a man with rifle access. Dugan’s obstruction let a fugitive flee, endangering Milwaukee’s streets. If judges shield criminals, who stops the next San Bernardino shooter (14 dead, 2015) or cyberattack costing billions (Colonial Pipeline, 2021)?


Your fear is real: if “everyone” harbors spies or terrorists, as Cano did one man, the system collapses. A 2023 CBP report counted 2.5 million border encounters—unvetted migrants, some dangerous, slip through when judges play rogue. Cano’s and Dugan’s felonies aren’t hypotheticals; they’re warnings. Every unchecked judge is a crack in our armor, inviting chaos while X posts (#TrenDeAragua, #HandsOffOurJudges) fan the flames of fear and division.


Public Trust: Shattered

Trust in the judiciary is bleeding out. A 2025 Gallup poll shows only 40% of Americans trust judges, down from 67% in 2000. Cano’s harboring and Dugan’s obstruction are daggers to that trust, proving the law’s guardians can turn traitor. If a judge—sworn to impartiality—hides fugitives or flouts federal law, why believe in fair trials? Due process? Impartiality? A 2025 Pew survey says 55% think, and cases like these scream why. Cano’s gun-toting guest and Dugan’s fugitive favor show bias that could taint any courtroom, leaving citizens wondering: is justice just a roll of the dice?


The ripple effect is poison. X posts split—#CorruptJudges trends as MAGA calls for lockups, while #HandsOffOurJudges paints Dugan as a martyr. When judges break laws, they fuel this divide, turning courts into political battlegrounds. If more judges follow—harboring Chinese spies, shielding ISIS plotters—trust won’t just erode; it’ll vanish. Citizens deserve judges who uphold the law, not ones who wield their dominion like warlords, deciding who gets a pass.


Democrats’ Hypocrisy: Screeching While Silent

Enter the Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, shrieking that Trump’s a “king” for arresting judges like Cano and Dugan. Schiff’s 2025 Senate rants call Trump’s DOJ an “attack on the rule of law,” framing Dugan’s arrest as authoritarian overreach. He’s got a point—arresting a sitting judge is a gut-punch to judicial independence, and Trump’s clashes (voter rules, lawyer sanctions) smell of power grabs. But Schumer's silence on Cano’s and Dugan’s felonies is deafening. Cano knowingly harbored a man with rifles; Dugan let a fugitive run for politics. Where’s Schumer’s outrage for their betrayal?

A social media post expressing concern over threats to judicial independence, with text emphasizing the fight for separation of powers.

This hypocrisy is galling. Dems like Rep. Gwen Moore cheer Dugan as a victim, ignoring her obstruction. Schumer's “king” narrative dodges Cano’s guilt, too inconvenient for the Dem script. Their selective screeching—amplifying Trump’s flaws while excusing law-breaking judges—mirrors the spin you loathe. If judges can harbor spies or terrorists and Dems just shrug, what’s left of accountability? X posts (#LockThemUp) call out this double standard, and @newswecu must too.



Call to Action: Screen the Judges, Save the System

If judges—our last line of defense—can’t uphold the law, who can? Cano and Dugan aren’t outliers; they’re alarms. There could be more, lurking in robes, ready to harbor Russian spies, Chinese hackers, or ISIS bombers. The system’s bleeding, and Band-Aids won’t cut it. We need a revolution in how we choose judges: rigorous, relentless screening to root out those who’d abuse their dominion. Background checks must dig deeper—past ethics violations, criminal ties, or ideological crusades. Psychological vetting should flag biases that turn judges into activists or enablers. Public nomination records, mandatory ethics training, and real-time misconduct audits aren’t optional—they’re survival.


Citizens, rise up! Demand that state legislatures and judicial commissions enforce ironclad standards. Vote out elected judges like Dugan if they betray you. Flood@newswecu with tips on rogue judges—Milwaukee, Las Cruces, anywhere. If we don’t screen out the lawbreakers, the next Cano could hide a terrorist, the next Dugan could free a killer. The law isn’t a suggestion, and judges aren’t kings. Follow @newswecu on X, amplify the truth, and fight for a judiciary that fears the people, not the other way around!

Do you trust the Justice System is fair and Impartial

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  • NO


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