Boasberg will also be presiding over the trial and ruling for or against Meta, since there is no jury. His presence adds another layer of intrigue, since he also ruled against Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand on Monday in a historic antitrust trial that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into social media powerhouses.

The case against Facebook owner Meta alleges the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to wipe out competition.