A federal judge in Florida has rejected a bid to release grand jury documents related to the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, dealing a setback to the US Justice Department's attempts to address ongoing public outrage over the handling of the case.
In a ruling issued on Wednesday(July 23), Judge Robin Rosenberg said that while there is significant public interest in the matter, the department's request did not meet the legal threshold typically required to unseal grand jury materials.
"The court's hands are tied," Rosenberg wrote, noting that the department's appeal was made outside of a formal judicial proceeding, which is the standard context for such disclosures.
The move comes as political and public scrutiny over the Epstein case intensifies. Last week, President Donald Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of secret records tied to Epstein’s long-standing sex trafficking allegations, in a bid to promote transparency.
However, the Justice Department clarified in a recent memo that only a fraction of the documents related to the Epstein case were ever presented to a grand jury. Thousands of other records remain in government custody and are not subject to the same legal protections.
The department also reiterated in the memo that there is no evidence suggesting Epstein had compiled a so-called list of influential men involved in his alleged trafficking network. Additionally, the memo reaffirms the government’s longstanding position that Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019, dismissing persistent conspiracy theories about his death.
In a related matter, a separate federal judge, Paul Engelmayer, denied a request by Epstein’s former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, to view the grand jury transcripts ahead of formally stating her position on their possible unsealing.
“It is black-letter law that defendants generally are not entitled to access grand jury materials,” Engelmayer wrote in his ruling.
Maxwell’s lawyers had asked to review the materials before responding to the Justice Department’s petition to release them. Judge Engelmayer ruled there was “no compelling necessity” for such access, but left open the possibility of sharing limited excerpts if he later deems it appropriate.
The Justice Department has been ordered to submit further legal arguments supporting the release of the transcripts by next week. Victims and Maxwell have until 5 August to file their own responses.
In a ruling issued on Wednesday(July 23), Judge Robin Rosenberg said that while there is significant public interest in the matter, the department's request did not meet the legal threshold typically required to unseal grand jury materials.
"The court's hands are tied," Rosenberg wrote, noting that the department's appeal was made outside of a formal judicial proceeding, which is the standard context for such disclosures.
The move comes as political and public scrutiny over the Epstein case intensifies. Last week, President Donald Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of secret records tied to Epstein’s long-standing sex trafficking allegations, in a bid to promote transparency.
However, the Justice Department clarified in a recent memo that only a fraction of the documents related to the Epstein case were ever presented to a grand jury. Thousands of other records remain in government custody and are not subject to the same legal protections.
The department also reiterated in the memo that there is no evidence suggesting Epstein had compiled a so-called list of influential men involved in his alleged trafficking network. Additionally, the memo reaffirms the government’s longstanding position that Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019, dismissing persistent conspiracy theories about his death.
In a related matter, a separate federal judge, Paul Engelmayer, denied a request by Epstein’s former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, to view the grand jury transcripts ahead of formally stating her position on their possible unsealing.
“It is black-letter law that defendants generally are not entitled to access grand jury materials,” Engelmayer wrote in his ruling.
Maxwell’s lawyers had asked to review the materials before responding to the Justice Department’s petition to release them. Judge Engelmayer ruled there was “no compelling necessity” for such access, but left open the possibility of sharing limited excerpts if he later deems it appropriate.
The Justice Department has been ordered to submit further legal arguments supporting the release of the transcripts by next week. Victims and Maxwell have until 5 August to file their own responses.
