Attorneys for Luigi Mangione, accused in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, have filed a court document asserting that the media access rules for his upcoming state murder trial violate his constitutional right to a public trial.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione's attorney, argued in a Friday filing that restricting the trial to 68 journalists is unconstitutional. She raised concerns that the court or district attorney could potentially "hand-pick" which reporters are allowed to attend, thereby limiting transparency.
Mangione's legal team outlined three objections, stating that the court is partially closing the trial by not utilizing an available overflow courtroom, that the court and district attorney are selecting which reporters can attend, and that the defense was not given an opportunity to be heard before these decisions were made.
Agnifilo claimed her team was not consulted regarding media access for the September trial and only learned of the "Media Access: PSNY v. Mangione" document from an independent journalist. "These guidelines were created without any consultation with or input from the defense," Agnifilo stated in the filing. "The guidelines provide that no overflow room will be made available for the duration of the trial, and that only six journalists will be permitted to cover jury selection, in a dramatic break from customary practice."
She described the process as "unabashedly arbitrary and insufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Constitution." The defense is requesting a public hearing on the matter and seeks a list of the journalists selected to cover jury selection, the list of 68 journalists granted access to trial proceedings, and an explanation of the selection criteria and decision-makers. They are also requesting details on efforts to secure an overflow courtroom and are asking for the proceedings to be broadcast live, as an overflow room is not currently designated.
Mangione's federal trial is scheduled to begin in January. Prosecutors previously recovered a gun and a notebook detailing writings about corporate America and the health insurance industry following Thompson's December 2024 murder.