Appeals Court and Justice Department Advance Effort to Unseal Epstein Records
A Justice Department motion to unseal grand jury transcripts is testing whether law-enforcement exemptions can override judicial orders
Overview
- On July 23, the Second Circuit upheld most redactions in Virginia Giuffre Roberts’s defamation case but directed the district court to reconsider sealing decisions
- The Department of Justice has filed a motion in Manhattan federal court to unseal grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal proceedings
- A FOIA lawsuit by Radar Online and James Robertson revealed the FBI identified 11,571 pages of responsive records and is withholding 10,107 pages under law-enforcement and grand-jury exemptions
- Lawyers for Epstein survivors expect FOIA appeals set for this fall in the Second Circuit could secure in-camera reviews and potentially force broader document releases
- Transparency experts warn that valid exemptions and political factors may continue to keep the bulk of Epstein-related materials from public view