Overview
- U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith ruled the newly enacted statute supersedes rules that bar disclosure of grand jury matters.
- The order authorizes release of transcripts from federal proceedings involving Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
- Congress mandated disclosure and President Donald Trump signed the measure on Nov. 19 after initial resistance that yielded to pressure from lawmakers.
- The Justice Department must produce the required records by Dec. 19, though the law allows withholding of classified material or files that could jeopardize ongoing federal investigations.
- The documents’ significance remains uncertain, and the ruling marks a shift from a Florida court’s denial of a similar release request this summer.