A federal judge

hears legal arguments about how much video, photos and other evidence from the Pulse nightclub attack should be allowed in the trial of the shooter’s widow, which is scheduled to begin in March.

A federal judge heard legal arguments Thursday about how much video, photos and other evidence from the Pulse nightclub attack should be allowed in the trial of the shooter’s widow.

Noor Salman was in court for the hearing, which lasted about 3½ hours. Her trial is scheduled to begin March 1.

Salman, the wife of gunman Omar Mateen, is charged with lying to investigators and aiding and abetting in providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Prosecutors would have to prove that Mateen gave material support to the so-called Islamic State group, whose leader he pledged allegiance to in phone conversations with police during the attack.

Those phone calls were among the evidence Salman’s defense objected to Thursday.

“For us to present our case, there has to be discussion of terrorism, there has to be discussion of violence, there has to be discussion of death, because that’s what happened,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney said. Prosecutors have taken hours of police body-camera footage and other video and cut them down significantly, and intend to narrow them further before the trial, she said.

Salman’s attorney, Charles Swift, said showing the jury graphic evidence from the shooting — which killed 49 people and left at least 68 injured — would be prejudicial, especially because Salman was not in the club. “Let’s make this Noor Salman’s trial, not Omar Mateen’s trial,” he said.

Judge Paul Byron said prosecutors will be allowed to show jurors evidence relating to Mateen buying Salman an expensive ring in the days before the shooting; a stop they made at a mosque in Kissimmee after visiting, and allegedly casing, Disney Springs on June 8; and text messages between Salman and Mateen the morning of the attack.

Byron said he would review case law and evidence and rule on other issues — including whether Mateen’s phone calls with the Orlando Police Department should be allowed at the trial — on a later date.

Court records show Swift offered to stipulate that Mateen was providing material support for the Islamic State if prosecutors agree not to put their terrorism expert on the stand.

At this point, prosecutors haven’t agreed to the offer. “The

defense cannot ask us to stipulate away our case,” Sweeney said.

The hearing also shed more light on why the defense wants to hear testimony from a friend of Mateen’s, only mentioned in court records by the nickname “Nemo.” His lawyer told the defense that he’ll use his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify.

The evening of June 11, Salman sent her husband two text messages. “If ur mom calls say nimo invited you out and noor wants to stay home,” she wrote. “She asked where you were xoxo. Love you.”

Mateen regularly used Nemo as a cover story when he met other women from online dating sites, Swift said.

“One of the allegations is that Ms. Salman was the one who came up with the cover story that he was going to see his parents that evening,” he said, arguing it’s more likely that Mateen told her he was spending time with Nemo and less likely that Salman would use the same cover story her husband used to cheat on her.

Attorneys also argued the basic question of the case: If Salman knew what her husband was planning.

They are due back in court Friday for a defense motion to exclude the government’s terrorism expert.