A federal judge in New York has authorized the Justice Department to release the grand jury transcripts and other sealed evidence from the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, ruling that Congress’ newly enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the material to be made public.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the order Tuesday, concluding in a 24-page decision that the law passed last month “unambiguously applies” to the discovery prosecutors turned over to Maxwell’s defense before her 2021 trial. The measure, signed by President Donald Trump, directs the Justice Department to disclose all Epstein-related investigative files—subject to limited exemptions—within 30 days of its passage.
The decision allows the department to seek modifications to the longstanding protective order in Maxwell’s case so it can post previously sealed records, including grand jury testimony, search warrant files, financial records, travel logs, photos, and interview reports. However, Engelmayer emphasized that victim information must remain protected and that any identifying details must be removed before release. He added specific safeguards, including a requirement that the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York “personally certify in a sworn declaration” that the department has thoroughly reviewed the files and protected victims’ identities. The additional scrutiny, he wrote, is necessary because the Justice Department, while claiming to consider victims’ privacy, has “not treated them with the solicitude they deserve” and has provided “lip service” to their concerns—especially given its earlier efforts to unseal materials without notifying the victims.
While Engelmayer authorized the release, he also stressed that the grand jury evidence in the Maxwell matter is unlikely to reveal significant new details. The panels heard only “summary testimony from two law enforcement officials,” he wrote, and nearly all of the material was already introduced at Maxwell’s 2021 trial.
Epstein, a wealthy financier accused of running a years-long sex-trafficking operation, died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell was convicted two years later on federal charges including conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor, and is serving a 20-year federal sentence. She told the court she would not formally oppose the Justice Department’s request. But her lawyers argued that releasing grand jury transcripts containing “untested and unproven allegations” could influence public opinion to the extent that a fair retrial—should she prevail on her forthcoming habeas petition—would be impossible. The Supreme Court rejected Maxwell’s earlier attempt to overturn her conviction, but her attorney has signaled she intends to file another petition challenging the verdict.
The Justice Department has not yet announced a timetable for releasing the files, though the law requires publication by mid-December.
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