A federal judge denied the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein in Florida.
The judge declined to unseal transcripts related to 2005 and 2007 grand jury investigations into Epstein in West Palm Beach. Separate requests to unseal testimony related to prosecutions of Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein in New York are still pending.
“Eleventh Circuit law does not permit this Court to grant the Government’s request; this Court’s hands are tied—a point that the Government concedes,” Judge Robin Rosenberg, an Obama appointee, wrote in his 12-page ruling.
Epstein entered into a non-prosecution agreement in 2007 allowing him to plead guilty to state offenses in Florida to avoid federal prosecution. Roy Black, the defense attorney who negotiated the terms of the agreement, died on Monday, according to the Miami Herald.
Alexander Acosta, who agreed to the deal as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, later became labor secretary during Trump’s first term but stepped down over criticism of the Epstein plea agreement.
Two federal judges in Manhattan indicated on Tuesday that they need more information before deciding on the administration’s request to unseal grand jury testimony.
The DOJ filed its motions to unseal the grand jury transcripts Friday at the request of President Donald Trump.
“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump wrote July 17 on Truth Social. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now.”
The Trump administration faced backlash after a memo leaked to Axios in early July concluded further disclosure of evidence related to Epstein would not be appropriate.
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