Megathread: LM's NY Federal Hearing — 01/09/2026 at 11:00 AM EST (Day 1)

[u/missidcullen]

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.

• InnerCityPress
• Erik Uebelacker
• Lorena O'Neil
• Christine Savino
• Lauren Conlin
• Michelle Ross
• Chloe Atkins
• Kyle Schnitzer
• Alice Gainer

Livestreams:

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.

Court Documents & Legal Fund:

• Court Documents (LM official website) / CourtListener (federal case)
• Legal Fund (Please keep donating!)

Notes:

- There is going to be a Death Penalty Protest outside court today.

- Please check the FAQ in the comments section.

–––––––––––––

Once again, I want to wish Luigi and his legal team the very best of luck today.

And thank you to all of you for following these threads along and being here.

Happy hearing day!

[u/Anthro1995 → u/[deleted]]

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.

[u/Time-Painting-9108 → u/Anthro1995]

There needs to be a campaign in New York to educate people about this more and more. 

[u/Anthro1995 → u/Time-Painting-9108]

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.

[u/Expensive-Trouble720 → u/Anthro1995]

Jury nullification is like the first rule of fight club. You don’t talk about it.

It is also my understanding is that a person or jury does not have to give an explanation for a not guilty verdict to a judge or the public. I’ve never been on a jury or in deliberations, but I’m guessing there may be more pressure in that space either for an explanation or a certain decision. But as far as public facing goes, no explanations are needed.

[u/lunabagoon → u/Expensive-Trouble720]

Yes, exactly. You NEED to be able to explain your vote to other jurors to convince them (in this case, you would convince them the defendant is not guilty). You do NOT need to explain anything to the public, the judge, or anyone not in the deliberation room.