A judge postponed Luigi Mangione’s federal trial Monday, saying it would be “impossible” for it to proceed as planned in November.
Mangione, 28, has pleaded not guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors say he followed the health insurance executive to New York and fatally shot him outside a Midtown hotel in December 2024.
The Ivy League graduate is slated to stand trial on second-degree murder and other charges in a separate case in state court this September. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said that would not leave enough time for jury selection in the federal trial, which she said would be extensive given the high-profile nature of the case.
Opening arguments in Mangione’s federal trial are now scheduled for Jan. 25. That will follow a weeks-long jury selection process, in which potential jurors will fill out questionnaires, and then a winnowed-down group will answer questions from attorneys and the judge in court. Garnett said they would also pick six alternates — more than the typical amount — in case any additional information comes to light about jurors during the trial and someone needs to be removed.
Garnett has been working with prosecutors and Mangione’s defense attorneys to draft the juror questionnaires. The judge said those will eventually be made public but are being kept under seal for now to minimize the chances of prospective jurors seeing them.
Mangione appeared in court Monday wearing a khaki jail jumpsuit. Before the conference began, he spoke quietly but animatedly with his attorneys, occasionally smiling. Observers filled the seats of the courtroom, as has become standard in the case.
Defense attorneys declined to comment outside the courthouse after the brief proceeding.
