Overview
- Justice Department lawyers filed Friday in federal court in Florida to unseal grand jury transcripts from the Epstein and Maxwell cases, arguing the new transparency law requires public production and seeking to lift protective orders.
- Judges in Florida and New York previously rejected similar unsealing bids, but DOJ now says the statute changes the legal balance and requested an expedited ruling to meet the mid-December deadline.
- President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Wednesday, triggering a requirement to release searchable, downloadable DOJ records, with officials preparing a trove reported as more than 300 gigabytes or roughly 100,000 pages.
- The law permits limited withholding to protect victim privacy, national security, or active federal cases, bars redactions for embarrassment or political sensitivity, and requires written justifications and a list of government officials and politically exposed persons to Congress.
- Survivors voiced cautious hope for transparency while reporting escalating threats and urging law enforcement protection as the release approaches.