Epstein Grand Jury Files To Stay Sealed As US Judge Rejects Trump Administration Request

Last Updated:July 24, 2025, 08:18 IST

US District Judge ruled that the Trump administration’s bid to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts from the 2005-07 probe failed to meet legal exceptions under federal rules

DOJ has faced mounting pressure from Trump allies and far-right influencers, many of whom believe the Epstein case conceals a deeper conspiracy involving powerful elites. (Image: Reuters)

A federal judge in Florida has denied the Trump administration’s request to unseal grand jury records from early investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, marking a legal and political setback for those seeking to publicly expose details of the disgraced financier’s past.

US District Judge Robin Rosenberg, presiding in West Palm Beach, rejected the Justice Department’s motion to release transcripts from federal grand jury proceedings held in 2005 and 2007. These records stem from the initial sex trafficking probe that ultimately resulted in Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal, which critics say allowed him to escape serious federal charges.

“The court’s hands are tied – a point that the Government concedes," Rosenberg wrote in the judgment, adding, “Eleventh Circuit law does not permit this court to grant the government’s request."

The ruling underscores the limits of US federal law when it comes to overriding grand jury secrecy. Judge Rosenberg said the motion did not meet any of the “extraordinary exceptions" that would justify making the material public. Federal grand juries operate in secret, and their transcripts are generally shielded from public view under Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Trump Administration’s Push For Transparency

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed the motion last Friday, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arguing that “transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration." The bid to unseal the Florida transcripts was part of a broader effort that also includes a pending request in New York, where a separate grand jury led to Epstein’s 2019 federal indictment and the subsequent conviction of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The department has faced mounting pressure from Trump allies and far-right influencers, many of whom believe the Epstein case conceals a deeper conspiracy involving powerful elites. The Justice Department last week acknowledged that Epstein did not have a list of clients and stated that no further files related to his case would be made public.

A two-page memo, bearing the logos of the FBI and DOJ, but unsigned, said the department had determined that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."

A Controversial Plea Deal

The grand jury records at the centre of the Florida request relate to the Miami US attorney’s office’s original investigation into Epstein. That inquiry ended with a secretive 2007 non-prosecution agreement under which Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. He served just 13 months in a Florida jail.

Legal experts had pointed out that even if unsealed, grand jury transcripts typically contain limited details because prosecutors present only enough evidence to obtain indictments and do not introduce the full scope of their investigations.

Epstein was arrested again in 2019 in New York on federal sex trafficking charges. He died in custody a month later, officially ruled a suicide. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for helping Epstein abuse underage girls and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Political Fallout And Congressional Action

The fight over access to sealed records has escalated on Capitol Hill. On the same day the judge issued the ruling, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for Epstein-related files. The full committee also issued a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell to testify before committee officials in August.

Meanwhile, Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has called on Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the case’s handling.

The controversy has also been stoked by the administration itself. In February, far-right influencers were invited to the White House and handed binders labelled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1" and “Declassified." However, the contents largely consisted of previously available documents.

Though the Florida bid has been denied, the parallel request to unseal grand jury materials in Manhattan remains pending. Whether that motion succeeds may depend on different circuit precedents, and the court’s interpretation of what “transparency" truly demands.

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