Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury transcripts won't be unsealed, judge rules
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on March 15, 2005, in New York City. Photo: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
A federal judge on Monday rejected a Justice Department bid to unseal grand jury transcripts in the New York sex trafficking case of Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
The big picture: Amid mounting public pressure over its handling of the disgraced financier's case, the administration turned to the courts to release grand jury materials, but has so far met legal roadblocks.
Driving the news: District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer wrote in his order that the premise that unsealing the materials would shed light on "meaningful new information" on the case or the government's investigation was "demonstrably false."
- Engelmayer had ordered the government to submit the transcripts and other materials after receiving the DOJ's request to unseal records, but concluded after reviewing the documents that "unsealing the grand jury materials would not reveal new information of any consequence."
- "The Government has not cited any case finding such materials to present a 'special circumstance' that justifies the exceptional step of unsealing grand jury materials," Engelmayer wrote. "There is none."
The other side: The DOJ argued in its July motion to unseal the case documents that "historical interest by the public" should qualify as a "special circumstance" to release the grand jury records.
- But Engelmayer denied that the Maxwell grand jury testimony represented a matter of significant historical or public interest.
- Rather, he said, it is "[f]ar from it."
- The testimony "consists of garden-variety summary testimony by two law enforcement agents," he added. "And the information it contains is already almost entirely a matter of longstanding public record, principally as a result of live testimony by percipient witnesses at the 2021 Maxwell trial."
Catch up quick: A federal judge similarly denied the administration's request to unseal transcripts related to Epstein's case in Florida, saying the court's "hands are tied" and noting that such transcripts are typically kept secret except in narrow circumstances.
- Trump, amid his attempts to dismiss swirling scrutiny surrounding the case of the deceased sex offender, directed Attorney General Pam Bondi "to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval."
- That court approval has proven to be a difficult barrier to clear.
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional information.
