Minnesota lawmaker shootings: Judge issues temporary gag order on all parties, including victims
Vance Boelter granted speedy trial in state case
Vance Boelter pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the 2025 attacks that killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and members of his family.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge placed a gag order on everyone involved in the Minnesota lawmaker shootings case against Vance Boelter, barring victims, court employees, and Boelter himself from speaking publicly on it.
Boelter pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court, but pleaded not guilty to charges in state court, which are being processed in a separate case.
READ MORE: ‘We have waited long enough’: Hoffman family blasts trial delay request
The order and what it covers
Boelter's defense team files motions ahead of MN hearing
The defense team for Vance Boelter filed several motions ahead of a hearing where he is set to be tried on Minnesota charges after being convicted in federal court.
What we know:
The order, issued following a Sept. 30 hearing, applies to Boelter, all attorneys, witnesses, potential witnesses and court employees. According to the order, none of those individuals may share — directly, indirectly or through a third party — any information, opinions, strategies, plans or potential evidence tied to the case.
That restriction also extends to anything that was previously written, recorded or otherwise documented by anyone subject to the order, according to the court filing. The order also covers attorneys' employees, agents and independent contractors working on their behalf.
Boelter Substack posts
Dig deeper:
Despite being in jail and already being sentenced to life in prison for murder, Boelter has been in communication with someone who posts his sentiments to a Substack account.
A memo from his defense team responding to the gag order states that "There is no record that Mr. Boelter's Substack posts pose a danger."
MN lawmaker shootings: Detailed timeline
FOX 9 Investigator Nathan O'Neal provided an in-depth timeline of the Minnesota lawmaker shootings.
Dig deeper:
Boelter's legal team filed a motion on Sept. 28 seeking an order governing out-of-court statements by witnesses. The state filed its response the same day. The following day, Sept. 29, Boelter's team filed a separate response to the state's request to limit speech by the defendant.
At the Sept. 30 hearing, the state asked the court to issue a temporary order blocking public statements while the matter could be fully argued.
What's next:
A new hearing was put on the calendar for Monday, Oct. 5 at 8:30 a.m. where the parties will argue over a trial delay and dueling gag orders.
What we don't know:
The logic of Boelter's arguments is not yet clear, and it is unknown if he plans to take the stand if the state case goes to trial.
The Source: This story uses information from court documents filed in Hennepin County Court and previous FOX 9 reporting.