Courts and Criminal Justice

The Justice Department filed a 144‑page omnibus opposition — authored by DOJ attorney Sean Buckley — defending its pursuit of the federal death penalty in the Luigi Mangione case, arguing defense objections are premature and that New York courts can manage intense publicity with tailored juror screening and sequestration. Meanwhile, multi‑day state suppression hearings before Judge Gregory Carro have played body‑cam and surveillance footage from Mangione’s Dec. 9, 2024 arrest at an Altoona, Pa., McDonald’s and center on whether officers lawfully searched his backpack and questioned him before Miranda warnings; prosecutors say the bag yielded a 9mm handgun, a 3D‑printed receiver/silencer, a loaded magazine, journals referencing targeting a health‑insurance CEO and items including a fake ID under the name “Mark Rosario,” while the defense seeks to exclude those items and pre‑Miranda statements, with further federal proceedings set for January 2026.