Overview

• U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said DOJ officials likely violated Local Criminal Rule 23.1 and her April order by amplifying comments about Luigi Mangione’s alleged guilt.
• The order cites a DOJ spokesperson’s now-deleted X post endorsing President Donald Trump’s Fox News claim that Mangione shot Brian Thompson in the back, later reposted by another senior DOJ aide.
• The judge directed prosecutors to notify Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that further breaches could draw personal financial penalties, contempt findings, or case-specific relief.
• Garnett said she will weigh the officials’ statements when ruling on the defense motion to preclude the federal death penalty that Attorney General Pam Bondi has sought.
• Defense filings also noted White House rhetoric labeling Mangione a “left-wing assassin,” while in the parallel state case a judge recently dismissed terrorism enhancements, with pretrial dates set for December.