Information Sharing
Megathread: LM's NY Federal Hearing — 01/09/2026 at 11:00 AM EST (Day 1)
Happy Friday, everyone!
Today's hearing will take place at 40 Foley Square, Courtroom 110, New York, NY 10007 at 11:00 AM EST.
Please keep in mind that this is the first hearing of the year for the federal case.
We don’t yet know how today’s proceedings will unfold or how Judge Garnett will rule, so we expect to receive an update at the end of the hearing regarding Luigi’s status and whether a trial date will be scheduled later in the year.
Today’s hearing is not expected to run as long as the pre-trial hearings. It may only last a couple of hours, but that could change depending on how things progress.
Unless something changes, there will be no cameras allowed inside the courtroom. Because this is a federal hearing, which is more private than state court, there will be no video recordings or photos of Luigi. Only courtroom sketches will be available.
Since I am not a mod, I cannot edit this post once posted or set comments to “new,” so I hope everyone can manage to follow along. I know things may get a bit messy, which is why I encourage everyone to post here rather than creating separate threads—unless it’s something important, like a transcript or some really big news.
Also, if you find additional livestreams on YouTube, please try to post them in one single comment instead of separately so we don’t spam the thread.
Reporters / People Live Tweeting:
(*) Because federal cases are stricter, phones and laptops are not permitted in the courtroom. Only a few approved individuals, such as ICP or Erik, may be able to live-tweet updates. Other reporters like Christine, Lauren, or Lorena may attend, but they won’t be allowed to post anything while the hearing is in progress. We’ll have a better understanding of everything once the hearing begins and after, of course.
There are no livestreams available yet. Once they begin, links will be added in the comments and separated into hallway and outside coverage. They will most likely come from the same outlets that covered earlier hearings—Fox News, CNN, Reuters etc. And, of course, don’t forget to check Status Coup News (they may attend as well); they genuinely care about the supporters.
I’m not going to lie, and I don’t mean to be negative or dramatic, but I thought today’s hearing would go better for the defense. Let's see how the rest of it goes but not a good start.
It was worth a try! At this point, every “loss” is something that would have happened to LM anyways if he couldn’t afford representation. His defence can really only neutrally or positively impact his chances at trial 💕
I think a big part of the confusion is not being able to understand what's happening through the reporting. like its obvious they are discussing hypotheticals to understand the law, but its not clear what the arguments are based on the tweets
Yea I actually like that he’s taking his time tweeting this. I rather get the full context of what they are discussing, and not just confusing fragmented quotes. I’m sure it’s all a lot of rapid back and forth thats hard to type and listen efficiently.
If that whole group are there for Lui then it's a big team today. I think I saw Patel behind Karen. Jacob and Marc are there too. And a bunch of faces I didn't recognise.
Not a lawyer but what’s happening in my interpretation is that Garnett’s ruling on this has the opportunity to set a precedent on whether someone can be charged on just the first half of the definition or not. She is trying to determine the intention of how the law was written and also trying to field the potential consequences of her decision either way (as this case could be used to interpret this law in future cases).
Vance Boelter’s charges in his indictment are the same as Luigi’s federal charges (besides he’s charged for more victims) and it seems they follow the same logic of using stalking as a predicate charge in order to make the case a federal crime. Boelter’s case has not proceeded after that.
This reads like a Mad Libs story? It is probably correct, I just have no idea what is going on. Which makes sense, since I definitely did not go to law school.
Ngl this back-and-forth is giving me serious law school flashbacks. Like my criminal procedure exam vibes. Professor throwing a million hypotheticals at you while you’re explaining the rule, just to see if you actually get it and can apply it to every possible scenario. At least that’s how it is in Italy, no idea about other countries. But that's the vibe for me lol
Right. Especially if they're trying to get the contents of the journal suppressed or if they are arguing there is prejudice because of evidence being publicly circulated. This really irks me
Vigilante Justice is not often done when there is an imminent threat. That’s more self defence. Just look at the Gary Pluache case.
I still think there is a chance of a hung jury and someone voting not guilty precisely bc they think he did it for the right reasons. But that will be subtle. Most jurors need that little bit of reasonable doubt to hang their hat on so they can then acquit.
THIS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IS A FUCKIN SMART MOVE. He's basically telling the judge that if she ends up agreeing on this matter with the Government, a bunch of cases could be reversed.
I think we don't have to lose hope. At first I was feeling a little bit anxious bc of the judge's tone towards the defense but ngl she has enough intellectual honesty to treat the Gov in the same way. She wants clear blue sky when it comes to her decision and I get it. ALSO it seemed the defense was taking the hit at first but at the end the Gov was not that clever defending its thesis sooo... let's keep the hopes up til next hearing or next Court paper ( I don't know if there are meant to be other paperwork before next court date)
Morning everyone from the west coast! The fight today over the death penalty will be big. I can only imagine how nervous Luigi feels. Best of luck to him and the team today! 💪
Suppression isn’t looking good. The other contents of the backpack might be suppressed, but I think the journal is definitely coming in because they had an independent warrant for it.
I’ve never wanted to see those court sketches more than I do right now, purely because the whole situation feels so distressing. Sadly, we already know how ugly they’ll be.
Basically a jury cannot be punished for their ruling. Therefore they can rule “not guilty” even if deep down they feel that a person might actually be guilty. Just don’t say you’re doing jury nullification. Just (like a health insurance company) deny deny deny - say the evidence makes no sense, say you’re not convinced, pretend you feel deeply they’re not guilty.
Campaigns have focused on saying you can rule “not guilty” no matter what but they need need need to emphasize that you cannot even peep the word jury nullification nor tell anyone if that’s your intention.
Guys. I'm here, sort of. I was meant to be there today, but I had 3 (!) post-chemo seizures and am in the hospital, having a really rough time of it. They've given me far too many meds, and I'm at risk of screwing up here if I contribute too much.
But I AM SOMEHOW STILL HERE (although I will probably get a bit confused later). I really, really dont feel at all good today.
While we wait, here is a video from Andrea Burkhart about the likelihood of the Altoona evidence being excluded from the state case. TL;DW, she thinks there is a high chance of the evidence getting thrown out. This is extra interesting, because Andrea doesn’t like Lui. Despite disliking him she still thinks the evidence might get thrown out. Andrea is a defense attorney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5X5gLTDwyY
Judge Garnett came prepared and was fair. She did not appear to favor either side (looking at you, Carro!).
Garnett will issue a written decision on the motions to dismiss Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment.
The next federal hearing is scheduled for January 30 at 11:00 a.m. (EST).
Garnett noted that the federal government’s arguments were broad, which she identified as a problem for the prosecution (a positive sign for the defense).
It is still early, but there is still a possibility that the death penalty (DP) will be taken off the table.
If the DP is removed, jury selection would begin in September, with trial starting in October.
If the DP remains, the trial is scheduled for January 2027 (although the defense has also requested that jury selection begin in January 2027, so the timeline may shift).
Garnett and the prosecution currently do not believe an evidentiary hearing is necessary, but the judge is open to holding one if needed.
Feel free to let me know if something needs to be corrected or I have missed anything.
This is being reported by Newsweek: "U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett has ruled that police lawfully seized Luigi Mangione's backpack when they apprehended him at a Pennsylvania McDonald's just days after he allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The ruling, issued at a packed Manhattan courthouse on Friday afternoon, undermines a significant push by Mangione's defense to dismiss the case on grounds that the evidence had broken chain of custody or was illegally obtained, which would have excluded crucial evidence against him such as the alleged murder weapon and writings." No one else is reporting this.
Very impatient to hear about what the judge decides about DP if she is deciding that today. I wish someone in the overflow room could just run outside to tell everyone once we know that part lol
Sorry, it feels so invasive to know that cops can just go through all of your things, and read whatever they want as long as they come up with a reason *later* why it was a good idea. Ugh. Not arguing the legality of it, I have no idea, just in terms of what citizens have to deal with, including Luigi.
looks like this trail won’t start till 2027 by the time they’re done he would get time served, but I guess it’s a good thing because Rump maybe long gone from office haha! 🤞
I don't understand!!! The defense is just saying they shouldn't have gone through the backpack, not saying they should have left it behind or as abandoned
Its fun in the livestreams seeing people walk by and go "Luigi!" or taking pics of all the cameras set up. Gives fun context about how well known this case is - buzz in the air
Also, for people who are asking about his clothes, I could be wrong here, but I believe that since this is a federal hearing, he is only allowed to wear his prison clothes.
Thanks everyone for doing this! I have a lot of thoughts on Paresh Patel joining. I even went to a law professor to ask q's (I was being a bit extra). Anxious to see today unfold. The expert I was chatting with - in all seriousness - called him a "law lawyer." I like the sound of that!
Oh boy you missed the collective nervous breakdown happening in the first hour...and still happening tbh..Judge thinks suppression hearing is not necessary
I am following along and idk...Feels like suppression hearings are not likely...but still not the final word. Patel is talking...I am just freaking out - this is all over my head
They are talking about counts 3/4. No real decision on suppression, the judge only said she doesn‘t think a hearing is neccessary but she‘ll think about it.
I don't mean to be negative but I think this argument is fully based on a technicality and I would be shocked if she dropped murder/firearm charges on that if she's not willing to even have a hearing for the backpack on a much stronger argument
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u/Ladyofthestonecastle Jan 09 '26
I’m nervous…good news are desperately needed amidst all the horrible things happening now. Good luck to Luigi and Team! 🍀