In a strong win for the defense, the judge overseeing actor Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial has ruled that the “30 Rock” star’s role as a producer of the film “Rust” is irrelevant to the case, ahead of the trial’s start Tuesday.

Mr. Baldwin’s defense attorneys have scored some early wins at Santa Fe County court ahead of what is expected to be a closely watched trial. The case will now center around his responsibilities as an actor.

“I’m having real difficulty with the state’s position that they want to show that as a producer he didn’t follow guidelines and therefore as an actor Mr. Baldwin did all of these things wrong that resulted in the death of Ms. Hutchins because as a producer he allowed these things to happen,” the judge presiding over the case, Mary Marlowe Sommer, said.

The prosecution had argued that Mr. Baldwin’s “role as a producer made him keenly aware of his responsibilities on set,” and that “it goes to Mr. Baldwin’s knowledge, knowing that his conduct on set was negligent.”

Mr. Baldwin’s defense team scored another win early in the day when the judge ruled that his team would be allowed to cross-examine witnesses brought by the prosecution concerning ongoing lawsuits against Mr. Baldwin. 

The prosecution is planning to bring four witnesses to the stand who have either settled a suit with Mr. Baldwin or have an ongoing lawsuit.

“My understanding is that the pending civil lawsuits that the four state’s witnesses have have to do with intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence as a whole in the filming,” prosecutors argued unsuccessfully.

During the tense hearings on Monday, Mr. Baldwin sat with his attorneys, Luke Niukas and Alex Spiro, as the court heard arguments about what evidence can be presented during the trial.

State attorneys also argued against letting two witnesses testify, a producer, Ryan Winterstern, and a former Santa Fe County sheriff sergeant, Christopher Zook.

Mr. Zook had testified in the trial of Guttierrez-Reed, telling the jury in the case that one gun he found on set had been loaded with the wrong type of ammunition, and was jammed as a result.

In earlier court proceedings, Judge Sommer also allowed for firearms experts to testify in the case concerning Mr. Baldwin’s handling of the firearm and to its condition.

The armorer for “Rust,” Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the death of Hutchins in March and was sentenced to 18 months. Mr. Baldwin is charged with the same crime.

An earlier FBI analysis of the weapon found that it couldn’t be fired without the trigger being pulled, a finding with which Mr. Baldwin’s attorneys have taken issue.

Prosecutors have also moved to exclude any evidence meant to portray Mr. Baldwin as sympathetic, arguing that it has no bearing on his possible guilt.

An attorney representing Hutchins’s family, Gloria Allred, has previously accused Mr. Baldwin of engaging in a “calculated and cynical” campaign to portray himself as a “sympathetic family man” since the shooting, according to the Telegraph.

In June, Mr. Baldwin announced that he and his wife would star in a reality TV show following their family, including his seven young children. A manslaughter conviction would likely derail plans to air the show in 2025.

Last month, Judge Marlowe Sommer also ruled that Gutierrez-Reed would not receive immunity in order to testify at the trial, and she is thus not expected to submit new testimony in the case.

The hearing Monday comes ahead of what is anticipated to be a closely watched trial where Mr. Baldwin stands accused of involuntary manslaughter. The trial is expected to last through July 19.

The case is likely to center around whether prosecutors can successfully argue that Mr. Baldwin’s negligence resulted in the death of Hutchins.

Prosecutors argue that Mr. Baldwin should have checked the weapon to insure it was loaded with blanks. They’ve also noted Mr. Baldwin was violating an industry safety rule by pointing a gun at Hutchins.

“BLANKS CAN KILL,” “Safety Bulletin #1” of an industrywide labor and management agreement reads. “TREAT ALL FIREARMS AS THOUGH THEY ARE LOADED.”

Mr. Baldwin’s attorneys have in turn argued that he was only following the instructions of Hutchins. They’ve also moved to block testimony concerning the death of actor Brandon Lee, who was killed by a lead tip from a bullet left in a gun while filming “The Crow” in 1993.

Lee’s case is likely relevant to the Baldwin case, though, given that Lee was killed in a scene where the gun was loaded with blanks.