A Manhattan federal judge has ruled that Justice Department officials crossed a legal line with their public remarks about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s former chief executive Brian Thompson.
Judge Margaret Garnett said the statements violated court rules designed to shield defendants from prejudicial publicity that could poison a jury pool. In her written order, she directed prosecutors to warn Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that further breaches could trigger contempt findings or financial sanctions.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Thompson and faces a federal death penalty trial. The rebuke followed a late-night filing from his defense team, which argued that comments from senior Trump administration officials had compromised Mangione’s right to a fair trial.
Among the examples cited: a Justice Department spokesperson amplifying President Donald Trump’s on-air claim that Mangione “shot someone in the back,” a post later deleted from social media. Days later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to Mangione as a “left-wing assassin” at a press briefing.
The judge’s order puts federal officials on notice—future public commentary about Mangione’s guilt or motives could come with consequences inside the courtroom.
Neither the Justice Department nor the White House offered any immediate response.
