❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking cases, citing a new federal law.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Smith, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the Justice Department.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was made on Friday in Florida, with a December 19 deadline for full compliance under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
💬KEY QUOTE: The law “explicitly bars withholding records solely to prevent embarrassment or reputational harm to public figures, government officials or foreign dignitaries.”
🎯IMPACT: This marks the first successful unsealing of Epstein-related grand jury records under the law, with further cases pending in New York.
A federal judge in Florida has ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the original 2006–2007 federal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, ruling that a newly enacted law overrides longstanding secrecy rules.
On December 5, Rodney Smith, a U.S. District Court Judge, granted the request from the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) to unseal documents from the grand jury proceedings. The approval marks a reversal of an earlier decision this year, when another federal judge declined a similar DOJ request.
The ruling is a direct result of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a new law signed in November 2025 by President Donald J. Trump, which requires the release of nearly all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein’s case. The law also allows redactions to protect victims’ identities and sensitive or ongoing investigations, but bars the government from withholding material simply to spare public figures embarrassment.
With the Florida transcripts cleared for release, attention shifts to two pending requests concerning other major Epstein-related cases: the 2019 federal sex-trafficking case against Epstein in New York and the 2021 case against his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. The Justice Department must respond by Monday to filings from victims, Epstein’s estate, and Maxwell’s legal team outlining their objections. Those cases have yet to see final rulings.
It remains unclear exactly when the now-approved transcripts will be made public, but the law sets a deadline of December 19 for the wider release of related materials.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.