Justice department officials may have broken federal court rules by making prejudicial public statements about Luigi Mangione, a judge said Wednesday.

Mangione’s lawyers accused officials of violating his right to a fair trial in a motion filed late Tuesday. Government agents are not supposed to share opinions about someone’s guilt or innocence before they stand trial, according to federal court rules .

U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said statements by high-ranking DOJ officials “appear to be in direct violation” of the rule. She ordered the government to explain how the public statements had been made and what steps will be taken to ensure the rules aren’t broken again. Future violations could result in sanctions, the judge said.

A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond t

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