Florida Federal Judge Orders Unsealing of Grand Jury Transcripts and Records in Epstein Investigation

A federal judge in Florida has ordered the disclosure of grand jury transcripts and related documents connected to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, opening the door for public access to these materials.

In a concise two-page ruling, Judge Rodney Smith approved the Justice Departments request to unseal the grand jury transcripts and adjust a protective order following the enactment of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which became law last month. Earlier in the year, the judge had denied a similar request due to strict grand jury secrecy rules under Rule 6(e).

The Act pertains to unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials concerning Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Therefore, the specific language of the Act overrides Rule 6s restriction on disclosure, Judge Smith stated.

The Justice Department has also petitioned two judges in New York to release grand jury transcripts and modify a protective order in connection with the investigation into Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, within the Southern District of New York. These requests remain under consideration.

Attorneys representing hundreds of Epstein survivors have called on the court to ensure the Justice Department coordinates with them to safeguard the identities of victims if records are made public. Bradley Edwards, representing survivors in a letter to Judge Paul Engelmayer, noted that the release of over 20,000 documents by House committees last month had already exposed many survivors names.

The chain of failures that led to clear violations of victims rights, and to promises of protection being broken, starts with Jeffrey Epsteins estate and the Department of Justice, and extends to the House Oversight Committee, Edwards wrote.

Author: Zoe Harrison