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A federal judge has now ordered key Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell case records to be unsealed, after Congress passed a new transparency law known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
What just happened
A judge in New York, Paul Engelmayer, ruled that the Justice Department may publicly release grand jury transcripts and other investigative materials from the Ghislaine Maxwell sex‑trafficking case linked to Jeffrey Epstein. This reverses earlier refusals to release such grand jury material, which is normally kept secret.
A separate federal judge in Florida, Rodney Smith, has likewise ordered the unsealing of federal grand jury records related to Epstein and Maxwell, citing the same new law. Together, these rulings open the door to hundreds or even thousands of pages of documents becoming public.
The “landmark bill”
The trigger is the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on 19 November 2025. The law requires the Justice Department to release all unclassified federal records related to Epstein and Maxwell in a publicly searchable format, with a deadline of 19 December 2025.
The statute allows limited redactions to protect ongoing investigations and victims’ privacy, but otherwise instructs DOJ, the FBI and federal prosecutors to disclose investigative files, internal correspondence and records of charging decisions and immunity deals.
What documents will come out
Judges have specifically authorized the release of:
Grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the Maxwell and Epstein federal cases in New York.
Federal grand jury records from earlier Florida investigations dating back to the mid‑2000s, including material around Epstein’s 2008 non‑prosecution agreement.
The Justice Department has indicated that the overall release could involve a large archive of investigative reports, correspondence and case files, subject to redactions for active probes and victim protection.
Why this is called a “stunning reversal”
For years, courts and the Justice Department resisted calls to unseal Epstein‑related grand jury materials, citing strict secrecy rules. Congress forced the issue with the new law, and judges are now explicitly saying that the statute overrides the usual grand jury confidentiality in this specific context.
Politically, the act passed the House by a near‑unanimous vote after months in which Republican leaders and the Trump administration had tried to block or delay it, before eventually reversing course and supporting the bill. This combination of legislative and judicial turnarounds is what media reports are describing as a “stunning reversal.”
If you want, a follow‑up can go into what these files might reveal (e.g., on the 2008 plea deal, alleged accomplices, or any newly exposed contacts).
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