This ruling likely doesn't matter that much, given that Ulbricht and his attorneys surely know who the most important witnesses are, as he knows the people he i

This ruling likely doesn't matter that much, given that Ulbricht and his attorneys surely know who the most important witnesses are, as he knows the people he interacted with. It does, however, show that the judge is willing to believe in the possibility that he's Pablo Escobar 2.0. That probably doesn't bode well for his trial. Even though his guilt will ultimately be decided by a jury, the judge's rulings on motions (such as the pending motion to keep testimony about his attempted murders-for-hire out of the trial) can have a huge impact on the verdict.