ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida has mandated the release of grand jury transcripts from the highly publicized federal sex trafficking cases involving Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith stated that a newly enacted federal law that compels the disclosure of records pertaining to these cases supersedes previous federal rules that generally prohibit the release of grand jury materials.
The law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was signed into effect by President Donald Trump last month. It requires the Justice Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to disclose extensive records amassed during the investigations by December 19.
The Justice Department has initiated requests to unseal documents related to three separate cases involving Epstein: the 2006-2007 Florida grand jury investigation, Epstein's 2019 New York sex trafficking case, and Maxwell’s recent 2021 sex trafficking case in New York. While the request regarding the Florida case has been approved, the New York requests are still pending, with a critical deadline next week for the Justice Department to finalize its submissions in response to advocates for victims as well as lawyers for Epstein's estate and Maxwell. Judges overseeing those cases have indicated that they will reach a decision swiftly.
Federal prosecutors involved in the Florida case were unavailable for comment on Friday, raising unanswered questions about the implications of this ruling.
The law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was signed into effect by President Donald Trump last month. It requires the Justice Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to disclose extensive records amassed during the investigations by December 19.
The Justice Department has initiated requests to unseal documents related to three separate cases involving Epstein: the 2006-2007 Florida grand jury investigation, Epstein's 2019 New York sex trafficking case, and Maxwell’s recent 2021 sex trafficking case in New York. While the request regarding the Florida case has been approved, the New York requests are still pending, with a critical deadline next week for the Justice Department to finalize its submissions in response to advocates for victims as well as lawyers for Epstein's estate and Maxwell. Judges overseeing those cases have indicated that they will reach a decision swiftly.
Federal prosecutors involved in the Florida case were unavailable for comment on Friday, raising unanswered questions about the implications of this ruling.
