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A federal judge in Florida granted the Justice Department’s request on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, citing a new federal transparency law.
Judge Rodney Smith found that the Epstein Files Transparency Act of 2025 overrode the secrecy requirements of federal grand jury rules. The law, signed by President Donald Trump on Nov. 19, requires the attorney general to make public all unclassified DOJ records connected to Epstein and Maxwell.
It will be up to the DOJ to decide when and how that material is released, but the law requires the department to publish it within 30 days. Smith’s ruling does not automatically release the records, but it marks an important step forward.
Federal judges in Florida and New York separately refused to release this grand jury material, saying it violated earlier federal rules on criminal procedure, citing secrecy and privacy concerns.
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Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were both indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein’s years of abuse of underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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But Congress in recent weeks passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which specifically authorized this release of material. Smith in Florida has unsealed that portion of the Epstein case.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.