Judge rules Epstein grand jury records from 2019 can be released

A federal judge in New York has ruled that the US Justice Department can publicly release grand jury transcripts from the 2019 Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman's decision overturns his previous decision to keep the materials secret. He cited a new law passed by Congress requiring the Justice Department to release files on Epstein.

In his latest ruling, Judge Berman said victims have the right “to the protection of their identity and privacy,” adding that their “safety and privacy are of paramount importance.”

Esptain was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019. A month later, he died in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial.

In August, Judge Berman denied the Justice Department's request due to concerns about “possible threats to the safety and privacy of victims.”

But in Wednesday's ruling, he said the material could now be released thanks to the Epstein File Transparency Act, which was signed into law by US President Donald Trump last month.

The law requires the Justice Department to release investigative materials related to Epstein by Dec. 19, including unclassified records, documents and communications.

It also allows the department to withhold files related to active criminal investigations or that raise privacy concerns.

Judge Berman is the third federal judge to grant such Justice Department requests since the new law was enacted. On Tuesday, a different judge ruled a similar decision in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of aiding Epstein's abuse.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Maxwell recruited and groomed girls, some as young as 14, between 1994 and 2004 before they were abused by Epstein. She is serving a 20-year sentence.

Last Friday Florida judge granted another request disclose grand jury records from another investigation into Epstein conducted in 2005 and 2007.

The Trump administration has faced pressure over the Epstein files for months. The president was a friend of Epstein but said the two fell out in the early 2000s, years before the disgraced financier was first arrested.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing against Epstein.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, he promised to release the files, and earlier this year his administration released thousands of pages of documents from the Epstein investigation – mostly flight logs.

However, Justice Department officials said in a memo in July that no further material would be released.

This sparked anger within both parties, and lawmakers introduced a resolution calling for the files to be made public.

Trump, who had previously rebuffed calls to release the files, signed the legislation in November, marking a major change in his position.

The family of Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim who committed suicide earlier this year, said Trump signing the bill was “nothing short of monumental.”

The files due to be released this month are different from the documents. published by the House Oversight Committee, who subpoenaed Epstein's estate earlier this year.

The documents included images of Jeffrey Epstein's home in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which showed several bedrooms, a room with masks on the wall, and a phone with names written on speed dial buttons.

Many survivors claimed they were trafficked to and abused on Little St. James Island, which Epstein bought in 1998.

The 2020 images also showed a dental chair and another room with a black chalkboard on the wall with the words “truth,” “deception” and “power” scrawled on it.

Democratic committee leader Robert Garcia said the material was released to “ensure public transparency.”

Republicans, who make up the majority on the committee, criticized Democrats for disclosing selective information in advance and then released another batch of documents.