US District Judge Richard Berman issued the ruling on Wednesday.
US District Judge Richard Berman issued the ruling on Wednesday, turning aside a Justice Department motion filed at the direction of President Donald Trump. The administration had argued for unsealing the records as Trump faces pressure from conservatives who have criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation.
The Justice Department disclosed in a July filing that the grand jury which indicted Epstein in 2019 heard testimony from only one witness—an FBI agent. Prosecutors emphasized that, by law, grand jury proceedings are secret and can only be released with judicial approval, according to US News.
Trump, who has accused Democrats of concealing evidence related to Epstein, had pledged to release records if reelected. In July, the Justice Department said it would not make additional Epstein files public and stated that no “client list” existed, causing a tidal wave of backlash from his MAGA base.
Epstein’s death inside a federal detention facility, combined with his social circle that included influential politicians and business leaders, gave rise to widespread speculation that others may have been complicit in his crimes or that he was silenced. The city’s chief medical examiner concluded the cause of death was suicide by hanging.
Wednesday’s ruling was not the first time federal courts have blocked attempts to unseal records tied to Epstein.
Earlier this month, Judge Paul Engelmayer, also of the Southern District of New York, rejected a government motion involving grand jury transcripts from the Ghislaine Maxwell case. Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of trafficking minors on his behalf.
In that opinion, Engelmayer said there was little value in releasing the sealed testimony because evidence had already been publicly presented during Maxwell’s monthlong trial. He noted that the grand jury records did not suggest any additional individuals beyond Epstein and Maxwell had engaged in sexual activity with minors.
Maxwell, who pleaded not guilty, has exhausted her appeals in lower courts and is now seeking review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Trump amdin has encountered similar obstacles outside New York. In July, a federal judge in Florida declined to make public grand jury records from investigations dating back to 2005 and 2007.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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