In comments from the bench, Xinis confirmed that she had little faith in Giles’ testimony and that it had undermined rather than bolstered the government’s position. “The evidence is not credible,” Xinis said. “It’s insufficient and incredible.”

Emil Bove, a top DOJ official who has been nominated to be an appellate judge, is the subject of whistleblower allegations.

Former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni says he was fired after pushing back on orders from top officials, including Emil Bove, to defy court rulings.

Despite a judge ordering Abrego Garcia’s release, he still remains in custody after claiming that he feared he’d be deported by immigration authorities. Xinis ordered that the DOJ produce a witness from the Department of Homeland Security Thursday to testify about the agency’s plans for Abrego Garcia.

In an interview with The New York Times, a former Justice Department lawyer, Erez Reuveni, said officials pressed subordinates to mislead judges, and dared the courts to stop it.

I suppose it was inevitable that in a case over whether the Trump administration can defy federal court orders without consequence, a trial judge would emerge as a main character. In the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case,