TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 8, 2025

A federal judge in Nashville ruled there is a “realistic likelihood” the government acted vindictively in bringing human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador before being brought to Tennessee in June to face criminal charges. According to the Tennessee Lookout, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw’s ruling on Friday allows Abrego Garcia's attorneys to seek documents and testimony from Trump administration officials about their public remarks and the basis for the decision to pursue charges. In granting the request to proceed with this claim, Crenshaw cited the timeline of official actions leading up to the charges as evidence of the “potential unreasonableness of the prosecution.” Prosecutors have denied that the government acted with any “ill will” in the case. No date for a hearing has been set.