Emanuel, who previously served as President Barack Obama‘s Chief of Staff, had stated back in December that there is a problem with a police “code of silence” where officers protect each other from accusations, and Judge Feinerman felt that his testimony could add value to the case. City attorneys said they’d be willing to acknowledge the code of silence if it would keep Emanuel off the witness stand. A spokesman for Emanuel said in a statement that the mayor would not have anything else to add.

Civil rights attorney Flint Taylor told the Chicago Tribune, “We’ve been fighting for 25 years to establish that there is a code of silence,” and said it was significant that the city is ready to admit that in order to keep Emanuel from testifying. Taylor said that with Judge Feinerman insisting that Emanuel take the stand, it is likely that the city will settle before the trial is scheduled to begin on May 31.