A judge on Wednesday granted the Justice Department’s latest request to unseal records of the federal grand jury investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the wake of a new law requiring the department to release all its Epstein files by Dec. 19.
The decision by the judge, Richard M. Berman of Federal District Court in Manhattan, came one day after another judge granted a similar request in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, who had conspired with Mr. Epstein in his sex-trafficking scheme.
The two rulings could lead to the most expansive and revealing look yet at the federal investigations of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell. The judges’ orders cover not only grand jury transcripts but also a large trove of other investigative materials, which were provided to defense lawyers in the discovery process and kept confidential for years under court protective orders.
Judge Berman, in a four-page order, said he was granting the government’s motion in accordance with the new law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and “with the unequivocal right of Epstein victims to have their identity and privacy protected.”
“Clearly victims’ safety and privacy are paramount,” Judge Berman added.
The law, which was passed by Congress last month, requires that the materials be released with redactions to protect victims’ names and other identifying information.
This past summer, Judge Berman and Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who is overseeing Ms. Maxwell’s case, each denied a request made by Attorney General Pam Bondi for the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury materials, citing grand jury secrecy.
In seeking the unsealing of the Epstein and Maxwell records last month, Ms. Bondi broadened her request to include the discovery materials kept secret under the court protective orders. She also asked the judges to expedite their rulings given the deadline set by the new law.
Those requests, submitted by Ms. Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, were signed by Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Mr. Epstein was indicted on sex-trafficking charges in July 2019 in Federal District Court in Manhattan; he was found dead in his jail cell the following month, while awaiting trial, and his death was ruled a suicide.
Ms. Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of sex-trafficking conspiracy, sex-trafficking a minor and other counts. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Her conviction came after a monthlong trial, during which prosecutors presented testimony and evidence portraying Ms. Maxwell as a sophisticated predator who had groomed vulnerable young women and girls as young as 14 years old for abuse by Mr. Epstein.
Along with the grand jury transcripts, the judges’ orders require the government to release discovery materials that have so far been kept secret.
These include materials gathered from government searches of physical locations, like Mr. Epstein’s house and island, as well as the contents of computers and other electronic devices seized by the authorities.
They also include arrest reports and post-arrest statements; bank and other financial records; private airline passenger logs; and reports and notes from interviews with victims.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates that materials not be “withheld, delayed or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, political sensitivity, including to any governmental official, public figure or foreign dignitary.”
In addition to protecting the privacy of victims, the new law allows for the redacting of records that would jeopardize an active federal investigation.
Benjamin Weiser is a Times reporter covering the federal courts and U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, and the justice system more broadly.
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