r/LuigiNation

I arrived at the courthouse just before 10:00 AM on the 29th. A queue of about 15 to 20 people had already formed; many held some form of identification pass, though not for the press. The actual press corps was stationed right in front of the public line.

​I noticed the crowd skewed heavily toward preppy Gen Zers and late Millennials, all dressed up as if it were their first day of law school—which was cute, at first. They sounded like interns, eagerly debating the relative advantages of attending Columbia versus NYU versus Cardozo.

​The line-cutting began almost immediately. A well-dressed blonde ahead of me let two of her colleagues slide in front of us. It was mildly irritating, especially since seating inside the main courtroom is so limited, and the rest of us had shown up early specifically hoping to secure a spot.

​As it turned out, their maneuvering didn't help them. Once we made it up the stairs, security redirected everyone to a side entrance down the block, effectively putting the front-runners and line-cutters at the very back of the queue.

​Inside, after surrendering our phones and clearing security, we made our way to Room 110, where a separate press line was already waiting. I recognized two of the "Mangionistas" in the press queue, as well as a reporter from Schepps Media. Shortly after, Luigi’s lawyers walked in; the female attorney was wearing an outfit vaguely reminiscent of Jackie O.

​When they finally began letting people inside, I anxiously counted the heads in front of me, wondering if I’d make the cut for the main courtroom. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the lucky few this time. The cutoff missed me by just six or seven people. My group—including the line-cutters—was escorted to the overflow viewing room instead.

​The alternate room had two screens mounted on either side. A friendly security officer, a Hispanic woman in her 50s, politely asked the more talkative members of the crowd to tone it down and maintain proper courtroom etiquette. Before long, the room grew quite chilly; I quickly regretted not bringing a sweater.

​A sudden hush fell over the room when Luigi, dressed in light army green, walked in and took his seat. On the monitors, you could see almost every head in the courtroom pivot slightly in his direction—though a few people were far less subtle.

​Outside, it was a brilliantly sunny morning. At one point, the person sitting next to me nudged me and pointed to the screen. The morning light streaming through the courtroom windows was reflecting so intensely off a bald man's head that he seemed entirely bathed in a bright white glow. ​"Is he an angel?" they whispered.

The focus was on clarifying the timing and schedules for the two cases. The judge mentioned specific dates in September and January.

​The discussion then turned to selecting six alternate jurors in the event that any members of the initial panel needed to be removed. The judge noted that the high-profile nature of the case made this selection process particularly unique.

​Throughout the proceedings, Luigi appeared highly focused, listening intently to his team.

>Finger pointing over the number of Americans losing health insurance roiled what otherwise would have been a technical House hearing over employee health coverage.

>The House Education and Workforce Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee held a Wednesday hearing on direct contracting, where employers directly negotiate with healthcare providers. Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.), chair of the subcommittee, touted such models as a way of lowering costs, but ranking member Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) said the issue was more about “tinkering around the edges” and not bold enough to address affordability issues that have dominated this year’s elections.

>But the hearing ground to a halt when Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) accused a witness of lying to Congress.

>“Do you think it’s okay to lie to Congress?” he said to Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, who testified that 15 million Americans are expected to lose healthcare under the 2025 Republican tax-and-spending law. Fine took issue with the statistic, saying the number also included non-Americans.

>“Given that you sat here and lied and I gave you the chance to correct yourself, I’m not interested in anything else you have to say,” Fine said. “Your time is done, I will move on. You can shut your mouth, you lied to Congress.”

>Longtime Democratic strategist Woodhouse had cited numbers from the Congressional Budget Office released during the debate of the law’s passage last year, which found changes — including the failure to extend premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act and new Medicaid work requirements — would lead to 15 to 16 million more people becoming uninsured.

>The disagreement is a sign that tensions are running high and partisan infighting has invaded ordinary congressional business. On Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped planned floor votes for the rest of the week after a revolt from a handful of hardline members.

>The chair called a recess to determine whether the argument could remain in the congressional record.

>“Those words were unfortunate at the least,” DeSaulnier said. “We appreciate your testimony and we want to protect all of your ability and your enthusiasm to testify in front of Congress without personal attacks.”

>Allen insisted it was not a personal attack, but “it was a matter of questioning what the truth was.”

With everything that has happened the last couple of weeks, what would you have liked them to do differently?

Looking at Luigi's mail catalog, I noticed there hasn't been an update since April. It makes me think the poor fellow must be going through a very difficult time, one that's so preoccupied he's forgotten this little habit. I wonder if he's still keeping his catalog updated and the update simply hasn't been posted. I understand he has more important things to do, though I hope he continues to receive our daily support through letters 🙏🥺

"On voir dire, jury prejudice, and the judges who have spent over a year avoiding the problem they’re now expected to solve."