Judge TORCHES DOJ, Orders Massive Dump of Ghislaine Maxwell Grand Jury Files
NEW YORK — A federal judge has ordered the release of grand jury materials tied to Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking case, sharply criticizing the Department of Justice for its handling of victims as it prepares the documents for public disclosure. The ruling, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York, follows the recent passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the DOJ to release unclassified investigative records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell.
Follow The Coffman Chronicle on NewsBreak for daily breaking political coverage.
In his order, Engelmayer said the law “unambiguously applies” to the Maxwell case, overriding traditional secrecy rules that normally shield grand jury proceedings from public view. The DOJ must now produce transcripts, exhibits, and other investigative files for publication, with redactions required to protect victims’ identities.
Engelmayer also faulted the Justice Department for what he called an inconsistent and overly cautious approach to victim notification during the unsealing process, warning that the agency had failed to meet its obligations under the new transparency law.
The DOJ, in its filings, has already attempted to temper expectations about what the documents will contain. Federal prosecutors said the grand jury transcripts consist primarily of testimony from law enforcement officials and do not identify any additional individuals who engaged in sexual contact with minors beyond Epstein and Maxwell. Prosecutors also noted that much of the substantive evidence used at trial has long been public.
Follow The Coffman Chronicle on NewsBreak for daily breaking political coverage.
The order requires the DOJ to release the materials by the statutory deadline later this month. The disclosure will mark one of the most extensive public releases of investigative records in a high-profile federal sex-trafficking case in recent history.