The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, challenging her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges. The decision effectively ends Maxwell's legal efforts to overturn her 20-year prison sentence, leaving presidential clemency as her only remaining option for early release.
Maxwell's legal team expressed deep disappointment at the ruling. Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, stated: “We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case. But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done.”
The Supreme Court's decision, issued without comment, follows a ruling last year by the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that a 2008 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and Florida prosecutors did not bind federal prosecutors in New York. Maxwell had argued that the agreement, which covered co-conspirators, protected her from prosecution, but she was not named in the deal.
Maxwell, 63, remains the only person convicted in connection with Epstein's two-decade sex-trafficking operation. Calls for further accountability have persisted, but the FBI and Department of Justice stated earlier this year that no further disclosures were appropriate. The case has also drawn political scrutiny, including over President Donald Trump's past association with Epstein. Trump has said he is “allowed” to pardon Maxwell but has not indicated he will do so.
