A United States federal judge has ruled that the Department of Justice can release grand jury documents from the sex trafficking case of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
District Judge Paul Engelmayer said on Tuesday that he would allow the publication of the documents but cautioned that there is little new information in them.
“They do not discuss or identify any client of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s,” Engelmayer wrote. “They do not reveal any heretofore unknown means or methods of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s crimes.”
Grand jury materials often contain court transcripts: They do not represent the full investigative file the Department of Justice may have.
Generally, they are sealed to protect witness testimony and ensure the fair administration of justice, since grand juries often decide whether or not a case proceeds to trial.
But a new law has allowed Epstein-related files — even secret grand jury materials — to be released to the public.
In November, the US Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which creates an exemption to the secrecy surrounding grand jury materials.
That law was signed by US President Donald Trump, who has faced scrutiny over his own relationship with the late Epstein, a financier who died by suicide in 2019.
Trump initially urged Republican lawmakers to reject the law, despite growing calls for greater transparency.
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