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Federal prosecutors urge judge not to delay Luigi Mangione trial
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Mar 21, 2026
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By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Mar 21, 2026
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Federal prosecutors in the Luigi Mangione case are urging a judge to reject his team’s request to delay the trial and are calling for “reasonable” adjustments to the jury selection process instead, according to court records.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett on Saturday, Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley wrote that “the public’s interest is both substantial and compelling, and is best served by proceeding to trial without delay.”
Earlier this week, Mangione’s team requested that the federal case — relating to federal charges of the stalking of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was murdered outside a Midtown hotel in December 2024 — be delayed to the start of 2027. As it currently stands, jury selection for Mangione’s federal trial is scheduled to begin in September, and would come after a separate trial in June on state charges related to Thompson’s murder. Mangione’s defense team argued that holding both trials so close together is a “practical restraint” that would not allow Mangione to exercise his constitutional right to review and challenge potential jurors and risks tainting the federal jury pool.
In their letter on Saturday, federal prosecutors wrote that they disagreed with Mangione’s attorneys on changing the schedule, but offered adjustments to the jury selection process.
“The concerns identified by the defense can be fully addressed through targeted modifications to the questionnaire process, rather than a wholesale continuance of the trial date in this case,” Buckley wrote.
“The changed posture of this case further supports that approach. The extended lead time previously adopted by the Court was designed to meet the unique demands of capital litigation — considerations that no longer apply,” he continued, citing Garnett’s decision to dismiss the most serious federal charges against Mangione — sparing him from the death penalty — in January.
Mangione’s trial has attracted international attention and elicited polarized reactions, with some condemning Thompson’s murder and others lionizing Mangione as a hero fighting against a corrupt U.S. health care system. Young women and other fans have flocked to Mangione’s court appearances and have sent him copious amounts of mail.
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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