A US federal judge has rejected a request from the Trump administration to unseal grand jury transcripts from a criminal investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Florida.
The ruling follows weeks of controversy after the Justice Department announced it would not release additional Epstein files, despite earlier promises by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi. The decision prompted backlash from some Trump supporters and conservative commentators.
In her ruling, US District Judge Robin Rosenberg said the court's 'hands are tied' because the government's request did not meet the narrow exceptions to grand jury secrecy rules. She noted that the department had not sought the transcripts for use in a judicial proceeding.
The Justice Department still has pending requests to unseal related transcripts in Manhattan, concerning later charges against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
