Luigi Mangione Case Updates

🧑‍⚖️ What Happened in Federal Court Friday (Jan. 9, 2026)

1. Mangione appeared in federal court for a pivotal pretrial hearing.
This was the first major federal appearance since his April 2025 arraignment — and it drew attention both inside the courtroom and outside from supporters.

2. The central focus: whether the death penalty stays on the table
Mangione’s defense team argued that key federal charges — including the one that allows capital punishment — should be dismissed or at least stripped of death-penalty eligibility. They claimed the stalking elements prosecutors rely on aren’t legally violent enough to make the murder charge death-eligible. They also attacked aspects of prosecutorial conduct and pretrial publicity, saying it prejudices the case. The judge didn’t issue a final ruling yesterday on whether the death penalty stays, but she heard the arguments and flagged that she’ll rule later in writing.

3. Bench talk about timing for the trial
Judge Margaret Garnett explained that the schedule hinges on that death penalty ruling:

🧩If death penalty counts stay → jury selection could begin early September 2026, with trial possibly in December or January 2027.

🧩If the death penalty is removed → the trial might start sooner, possibly in October 2026.

So, the court is tentatively eyeing September jury selection as an anchor date.

4. Other key defense moves were aired
Mangione’s lawyers also pressed to throw out certain charges and to challenge evidence — including whether items found in his backpack at arrest should be suppressed. The judge hasn’t ruled on those yet, and some arguments will return at later dates.

5. Next procedural steps
The court set a follow-up pretrial conference on January 30 to continue working through motions and scheduling.

Federal Case (Southern District of New York)
On Friday, December 5, 2025, a federal pretrial hearing was held in United States v. Mangione at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan. The court addressed procedural matters related to the federal charges, which are death-penalty eligible, and began setting the framework for the case moving forward. No trial date has been scheduled at this time.

The next federal hearing is scheduled for January 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom 110 at 40 Foley Square, New York, NY.

New York State Supreme Court (Manhattan)
On December 1, 2025, a pre-trial evidentiary hearing took place in the New York State murder case against Luigi Mangione, separate from the federal prosecution. This hearing focused on whether certain statements and evidence (including items recovered from Mangione’s backpack after his arrest) can be admitted at a state trial. Defense attorneys argued that some evidence should be excluded because it was obtained without a warrant and that Mangione’s statements were made before Miranda rights were administered. The hearing has involved testimony, body-camera footage, and 911 audio related to the arrest in Pennsylvania, and has continued multiple days through the first half of December. No trial date has been set yet in the state case, and proceedings are expected to extend into 2026 as evidentiary issues are resolved.

State Case (Pennsylvania)
A state-level hearing in Commonwealth v. Mangione was scheduled for December 1, 2025 in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania case is currently on hold, pending developments in the federal prosecution. No state trial date has been set.

Current Posture
At present, the federal case is driving the procedural timeline, while the Pennsylvania case remains delayed. No trials are expected to begin until 2026, leaving the coming months focused on pretrial motions, hearings, and evidentiary issues.

Mangione’s defense team filed several motions on Oct. 11 in regards to his federal charges.

(1) Dismissal of Counts Three and Four of the indictment for failure to state an offense under 18 U.S.C. § 924(j) and 18 U.S.C. § 924(c);
The filed motion seeks to dismiss the federal count that is eligible for the death penalty (the “murder through use of a firearm” count) and a related firearms count. They argue the underlying stalking counts fail to qualify as “crimes of violence,” thus undermining the death-eligible charge.

(2) Suppression of the evidence the government recovered through a warrantless search of Mr. Mangione’s backpack; and

(3) Suppression of Mr. Mangione’s statements to law enforcement that were the result of custodial interrogation without Miranda warnings.

His team also filed a motion claiming that major insurer UnitedHealthcare had undue influence and that the government is tainting his jury pool by portraying him as a “left-wing violent extremist.” The motion continues the argument that the decision by the United States Department of Justice/Pamela Bondi (the Attorney General) to seek the death penalty was politically driven and (in the defense view) procedurally flawed.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania state case against him is effectively on hold. Because he remains in custody in New York and refuses to appear remotely, the PA court has paused progress until he can appear in person.