1oo CENTRE STREET, Aug 3– The New York
State trial of Luigi Mangione still will not have an
overflow courtroom for the press and public, unlike the
Trump trial in the same building. Who made the decision,
and why, has not been publicly explained.
Inner City Press wrote to presiding
Justice Gregory Carro on July 18, challenging the lack of
an overflow courtroom. It has continued to push - and now
on July 31 Mangione's lawyers have written to Justice
Carro. They say they only learned of the restriction from
Inner City Press. And they want a hearing on how it was
and perhaps is chosen, which media and which journalists
can enter and cover the trial
The argument for an overflow courtroom have
become even stronger.
In the
Federal SDNY courthouse, which always
provides overflow rooms to view trial of
wide interest, Luigi Mangione was
presented on December 19, 2024 on four
charges, one of them death penalty
eligible, for the killing of UnitedHealth
CEO Brian Thompson. Inner City Press was
there, covering the case toward a book.
On April
1, 2025 DOJ announced it would seek the
death penalty against Mangione. But SDNY
Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the death
eligible charges, and set an October 13
court date.
After some push back, Inner City Press
published a book Luigi Mangione Lone Wolf here,
now Amazon here
More on X
for Subscribers here and
Substack here
On
February 6, 2025 NYS Justice Gregory Carro
convened a hearing and, after a long
whispered sidebar, announced that NY and
he should go first, on June 8. Karen
Friedman Agnifilo said that was too fast,
and said she would raise double jeopardy.
Luigi
Mangione while being led out said it's
common sense, that's double jeopardy
February
6 extra on X for Subscribers here and
Substack here
Inner City Press pushed to get exhibits
unsealed, waiting through one of Justice
Carro's calendar days to hand up a letter.
While that led to unsealing, afterward
Justice Carro granted privileged access to
some, but not others, in the press corps.
On
February 9 Mangione's lawyers wrote to
SDNY Judge Garnett, recounting what
Justice Carro said and opposing it,
promising another filing - this one on
Patreon here
Now after NYS Justice Carro did everything
he could to have his trial go before the
Fed, on July 17 it was announced "Hon.
Gregory Carro presiding... Overflow
Courtroom: There will be NO overflow room
for this proceeding Time
Courtroom Opens: 9:30 am Duration of
Proceeding: Approximately six to eight
weeks; weekdays excluding Wednesdays
Press Arrival Outside Courthouse: By
7:00-7:45 am." So, waiting two and a half
hours, some days in the rain, to get in.
Who this benefits, other than fee-charging
line-sitting companies, is unclear. At a
minimum, or really as a first step to
getting this reversed, it must be
disclosed who made this decision, and why.
On July
18 Inner City Press streamed this
vlog on the topic; here is its
letter to Justice Carro, on DocumentCloud
since NYS has no PACER, here.
July 18 more on
X for Subscribers here
and Substack here.
And on
July 31, Mangione's lawyers Karen Friedman
Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan
wrote in.
July 31
more on X for Subscribers here
and Substack here.
On August
3, the Office of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg
responded, saying they played no rule on
OCA's July 17 "Access" plan - but notably
NOT saying if they favor an overflow room
as existed in their Trump prosecution.
August 3
more on X for Subscribers here
and Substack here
