BREAKING: Federal Judge BLOCKS Release Of Epstein Files

A federal judge in Florida denied one of three Justice Department requests to unseal grand jury records tied to federal investigations into notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to a public order released Wednesday.

The request is one of three made by the Justice Department to judges in New York and Florida seeking to unseal records from federal investigations into Epstein.

Requested records pertained to the grand juries convened in West Palm Beach in 2005 and 2007 that had investigated Epstein. The request was denied by U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg, an Obama appointee.

Judge Rosenberg claimed that the Justice Department failed to outline sufficient arguments to justify the unsealing of the records, which are normally protected under strict secrecy rules, according to a report from ABC News. The judge’s opinion stated that her “hands were tied” given existing precedent in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which only permits the release of grand jury materials under very narrow parameters.

She further denied a request to transfer the issue into the jurisdiction of the Southern District of New York, where two judges are already considering separate motions from the DOJ to unseal additional records relating to the case against Epstein and his longtime mistress and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.

The ruling comes just a day after another federal judge in New York denied Maxwell’s request to review grand jury testimony related to Epstein. “It is black-letter law that defendants generally are not entitled to access to grand jury materials,” U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in his decision.

Maxwell’s lawyers had requested access to the grand jury materials in order to determine whether their client would take a position on the wider records release. Judge Engelmayer wrote that there is no “compelling necessity” for Maxwell to review the records.

Should Maxwell’s lawyers file an objection, it could further complicate the release of the records, which have been requested by President Donald Trump in order to increase transparency on the case. “She has not shown, or attempted to show, that the grand jury materials in her case are apt to reveal any deficiency in the proceedings leading to her indictment,” Engelmayer wrote.

The judge further noted that he plans to “expeditiously” review the transcripts himself and would consider providing an excerpt or synopsis to Maxwell’s legal time.

The Florida ruling comes just hours after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed Maxwell for a congressional deposition, which will take place on August 11. “The Department of Justice is cooperating and will help facilitate the deposition at the prison,” Comer announced.

In addition to the upcoming congressional deposition, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that he had reached out to Maxwell’s legal team and intends to meet with her “in the coming days” to “hear what she has to say.” Maxwell’s attorney later confirmed that she had been in talks with the Justice Department.