Overview

• Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled on August 11 that unsealing the Maxwell grand jury transcripts would not reveal any consequential new information and refused the DOJ’s request.
• He emphasized that the testimony consisted mainly of summary law-enforcement accounts already in the public domain and dismissed claims of significant historical interest.
• Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorneys had opposed the motion, warning that broad release would infringe on her privacy and yield nothing beyond her trial record.
• A Florida judge earlier rejected a similar bid to unseal Epstein-related transcripts, and separate motions over his grand jury materials remain pending in New York.
• Maxwell’s recent two-day interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and her transfer to a minimum-security facility have intensified scrutiny over her level of cooperation.