Top Stories

Federal judge orders unsealing of Epstein case grand jury records

todayDecember 5, 2025 5

Background
share close

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 ruled that the Epstein Files Transparency Act of 2025 overrode the secrecy requirements of federal grand jury rules. The law requires the attorney general to make public all unclassified Justice Department records connected to Epstein and Maxwell.

It will be up to the Department of Justice to decide when and how that material is released. The ruling does not automatically release the records but 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.

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. 

Read More

​U.S. News Today on Fox News 890721d1-a4de-5279-a7bf-183c840b4a2c, fnc, Fox News, fox-news/person/jeffrey-epstein, fox-news/us/us-regions/southeast/florida, fox-news/politics/justice-department, fox-news/us, article 

Written by: ThemusicalG

Rate it