A federal judge in Manhattan is seeking additional information from the Justice Department as he considers its request to unseal records related to the sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer ordered the Justice Department to detail what materials it intends to publicly release that are currently under secrecy orders in Maxwell’s case. The department must submit this information by noon on Wednesday.
This request follows the Justice Department’s application on Monday for permission to release grand jury records, exhibits, and discovery materials connected to Maxwell. Engelmayer emphasized that government lawyers must file a letter on the case docket elucidating the materials they wish to disclose “in sufficient detail to meaningfully inform victims” regarding what will be made public.
Maxwell was convicted by a federal jury in 2021 for her role in recruiting some of Epstein’s underage victims and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein himself, a wealthy financier with connections to numerous high-profile figures, died by suicide in jail a month after his arrest in 2019.
Engelmayer has indicated that both Maxwell and victims may respond to the Justice Department’s request before he decides whether to grant it. The department’s move comes as part of its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted by Congress and signed into law last week by President Donald Trump. This legislation mandates the release of grand jury and discovery materials connected to Epstein.
The request for unsealing these records is one of the initial public steps the Justice Department is taking to adhere to the transparency act, which stipulates a searchable release of Epstein-related files by December 19. Although Engelmayer did not oversee Maxwell’s trial, he was assigned to the case after Judge Alison J. Nathan transitioned to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The materials in question may include victim interviews and other sensitive documents that were previously accessible only to legal representatives or Maxwell prior to her trial. Engelmayer instructed that responses from victims and Maxwell regarding the government’s request must be submitted by December 3, with the government required to respond to these filings by December 10. The judge pledged to make a ruling “promptly thereafter.”
Lawyers representing the victims have not yet commented, and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors declined to provide any statements. Meanwhile, Judge Richard M. Berman, who oversaw the Epstein case before his death, issued an order on Tuesday, permitting victims and Epstein’s estate to respond to the Justice Department’s request for unsealing by December 3. He noted that the government could reply to any submissions by December 8, and he would strive to resolve the motion expediently.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/judge-justice-department-detail-ghislaine-maxwell-trial-materials-to-be-released-10386368/
Category: World
Tags:
Publish Date: 2025-11-26 05:49:00
