US District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg stated that she is legally barred from releasing the records under rules set by the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
A an Obama-appointed Florida judge in Florida has rejected a request from the Department of Justice to make public grand jury transcripts related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
US District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg issued a 12-page ruling on Wednesday, stating that she is legally barred from releasing the records under rules set by the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, according to the Washington Post. That court's standards strictly limit circumstances under which grand jury materials can be unsealed.
The Justice Department filed the request last week following pressure from the MAGA base to increase transparency around the Epstein case.
While the Florida records remain sealed, the Justice Department is also pursuing separate efforts in New York to unseal grand jury transcripts tied to Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Both were indicted there on sex trafficking charges. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, in what was ruled a suicide. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Florida.
Federal judges in Manhattan handling the New York records have said the DOJ has not yet "adequately addressed" the legal requirements for unsealing such materials.
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