A U.S. district judge said the law required the case be heard in the venue where Khalil was being held when his attorneys first filed a lawsuit challenging his detention.

A New York federal judge transferred Khalil’s petition to New Jersey, where the court will determine whether to order Khalil’s release from an ICE detention center in Louisiana. The government previously argued that the New York court didn’t have jurisdiction over Khalil’s case.

The decision offers a venue compromise in the bellwether case, while Khalil's legal team seeks to release him from detention and block his deportation.