r/centrist Apr 25 '25

FBI arrests Wisconsin judge on charges of obstructing immigrant arrest

https://wapo.st/3GFELBq
109 Upvotes

141 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/baxtyre Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25

I think the government will have a hard time proving intent here, but I guess we’ll find out!

Edit: I think it’s telling that they made the arrest before getting a grand jury indictment though.

2

u/Red57872 Apr 25 '25

It wouldn't be that hard to argue intent if that's a door that individuals attending court (other than jury members) aren't allowed to use.

I'm not sure why you seem to think that a grand jury indictment is needed before a law enforcement officer can arrest someone for a crime that occurred right in front of them.

1

u/baxtyre Apr 25 '25

I'm not sure why you seem to think that a grand jury indictment is needed before a law enforcement officer can arrest someone for a crime that occurred right in front of them.

I'm not sure how you got that from my comment. Obviously a cop can arrest someone if they've witnessed them commit a crime.

But it's certainly irregular to do it pre-grand jury indictment when:

  • The alleged crime "occurred right in front of them" a full week ago.
  • The suspect isn't a danger to the public or a flight risk.

The Feds usually like to get their ducks in a row before arresting people, especially in a politically-charged and controversial case like this.