US judge orders release of Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records from 2019 sex trafficking case

A federal judge in New York has ruled that the US Department of Justice can publicly release grand jury records from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case. In the ruling, US District Judge Richard Berman has reversed his previous decision to keep the material sealed, citing a new law passed by Congress requiring the Justice Department to release files about Epstein. “The Court hereby grants the Government’s motion in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and with the unequivocal right of Epstein victims to have their identity and privacy protected,” he wrote in the four-page ruling. He explained that he agreed with attorneys for Epstein survivors, who he said wrote to the court to say that disclosure “CANNOT come at the expense of the privacy, safety, and protection of sexual abuse and sex trafficking victims.”

Berman also referenced language from the law that laid out the type of personal material that should be withheld, including survivors’ personal and medical files. It’s unclear when the materials will be released. Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019.

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The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by US President Donald Trump last month, requires the Justice Department to release investigative material related to Epstein by 19 December, including unclassified records, documents, and communications, but lets the department withhold files that involve active criminal investigations or raise privacy concerns.

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Florida ordered the release of other grand jury investigation material related to Epstein from 2005 and 2007. A similar request had been rejected months earlier.

In August, before the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed, Berman rejected the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury materials. He argued at the time that the government had not reached the necessary bar to release the documents and said, “The government has already undertaken a comprehensive investigation into the Epstein case and, not surprisingly, has assembled a ‘trove’ of Epstein documents, interviews, and exhibits.”

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“The government’s 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials dwarf the 70 odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials,” the August ruling said.

Berman also said in August that a factor in his decision not to approve the government’s motion was “possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy.”

In 2019, Epstein died by suicide in jail, where he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death has sparked conspiracy theories for years, including from some close allies of the president.

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The move comes a day after a separate judge ordered the release of grand jury records related to Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in facilitating Epstein’s abuse. During her trial, prosecutors argued 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.

The administration’s handling of the Epstein case sparked rare fractures within the president’s base. In July, Trump disavowed supporters who pushed for the release of the files, calling them “weaklings.” Shortly before the legislation passed, after it became obvious that the bill had overwhelming support, the president reversed the course and called for Republicans to vote for it.