US Bankruptcy Judge Stuart Bernstein in Manhattan set strict limits on what Madoff can be asked.
He restricted questions to the meaning of more than 91,000 transactions recorded as "profit withdrawal" on the books of the former Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.
The judge also said whatever Madoff says can be used only in litigation over the profit withdrawal issue, and that Madoff must be instructed in advance not to wander off topic.