A federal judge granted the Department of Justice’s request to unseal records of the federal grand jury investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to The New York Times. The order comes just 10 days before the department must release all files pertaining to Epstein’s investigations after Congress passed a law requiring it.
Wednesday’s decision by Judge Richard M. Berman of the Federal District Court of Manhattan comes a day after a different judge granted a similar request relating to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator in his sex-trafficking scheme.
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The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed in November, requires the DOJ to release the files, with redactions to protect victims, by Dec. 19.
What does this ruling mean?
Berman’s ruling could lead to the most expansive and revealing look at the investigation of Epstein and Maxwell that’s yet to be revealed, according to The Times. The order covers grand jury transcripts and a large collection of investigative materials.
The majority of the materials were provided by defense lawyers during the discovery process. Officials kept these documents confidential under court order since the trial.
Berman and fellow Judge Paul A. Engelmayer previously denied a request made by Attorney General Pam Bondi for the grand jury materials. They said they couldn’t grant the request because of grand jury secrecy, according to The Times.
The ruling did not give a timeline for when the material will be released to the public.
What did the judges say?
Berman wrote in his ruling that Congress intended for the new transparency law to make the grand jury materials public. He said the law “supersedes the otherwise secret grand jury materials.”
However, he requested the DOJ to carefully follow the new law’s privacy provisions to ensure the release didn’t identify any victims.
The Justice Department said the materials include testimony from an FBI agent who testified over two days, according to The Associated Press. Other files include a PowerPoint presentation and a call log.
The grand jury eventually voted to indict Epstein on sex trafficking charges.
