In a dramatic twist, the Department of Justice appeared to backtrack on its initial plan to prosecute Kilmar Abrego Garcia before deporting him to Liberia or another country. This development unfolded as a federal judge, overseeing his human smuggling charges, issued a stern warning to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The judge cautioned them against making remarks that could jeopardize Abrego Garcia’s right to a fair trial, hinting at possible sanctions if their actions continued to pose a threat.

The unfolding events in the Abrego Garcia case are nothing short of dizzying. On Monday, a DOJ attorney informed Maryland U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis that the Trump administration, unless instructed otherwise by the courts, intends to deport the Salvadoran citizen—mistakenly deported previously—to Liberia by Halloween. Judge Xinis expressed skepticism toward the government’s reasoning, pointing out the obvious complications a deportation would cause for the criminal trial in Tennessee, where Abrego Garcia faces charges of allegedly smuggling illegal immigrants.

In addition, as reported by Law&Crime, Judge Xinis, appointed by Barack Obama, acknowledged that U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw has scheduled an evidentiary hearing for early November. This hearing will scrutinize Abrego Garcia’s allegation that the DOJ’s prosecution was retaliatory, aimed at punishing him for the “embarrassment” his civil lawsuit caused the government.

The question of whether Abrego Garcia will remain in the U.S. until the November 4 hearing is yet unanswered. Meanwhile, Judge Crenshaw has issued strong warnings to high-ranking officials over their “troubling” public statements concerning the defendant. His written opinion and order, also shaped by Obama’s appointment, emphasized the enforcement of a local rule that restricts DOJ and DHS employees from making public statements likely to jeopardize Abrego Garcia’s right to a fair trial, should one proceed.

Whether Abrego Garcia will be removed from the U.S. before the Nov. 4 hearing remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Crenshaw issued some stern warnings for top executive branch officials who have made “troubling” out-of-court statements about the defendant.

An opinion and order from Crenshaw, also an Obama appointee, made clear that he would enforce a local rule moving forward that “prohibits DOJ and DHS employees from making extrajudicial statements that will ‘have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing’ Abrego’s right to a ‘fair trial,’” assuming there can or will be a trial.

The judge pointed directly to remarks made by Bondi and Noem, calling those “extrajudicial statements […] troubling, especially where many of them are exaggerated if not simply inaccurate.”

In early June, for instance, Bondi said the defendant played “a significant role in an alien smuggling ring … [that] this was his full-time job, not a contractor … [that] [h]e was a smuggler of humans and children and women … [and that] [h]e made over 100 trips,” comments in potential violation of the local rule because they “offer[ed] an opinion ‘as to the evidence in the case,’” the judge said.

Then in August, Noem branded the defendant an “MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator,” a statement that was again “contrary” to the local rule, Crenshaw continued.

In his Monday order, the judge was clear that acting U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire, within two days, “shall provide a copy of this Order and Memorandum Opinion to all” DOJ and DHS employees, including Bondi and Noem.

“Employees of DOJ and DHS are hereby on notice that they are prohibited from making any ‘extrajudicial statement (other than a quotation from or reference to public records) that the [individual] knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by public communication that will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter, including especially that will interfere with a fair trial,’” the judge said, threatening sanctions for violations of the order.