Florida Judge Orders Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts Released

A federal judge in Florida has ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking activities, marking a significant step toward greater public disclosure of materials long held under seal. The ruling, issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith, stems from a new federal law that mandates the unsealing of records related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law last month, requires the Justice Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to disclose vast amounts of investigative material by December 19. This includes documents from three key cases: the 2006-2007 Florida grand jury probe into Epstein, his 2019 sex trafficking indictment in New York, and Maxwell's 2021 sex trafficking trial, also in New York. Judge Smith's decision approves the release for the Florida case, overriding a longstanding federal rule that protects grand jury proceedings from public view. Prosecutors in the Florida matter did not immediately respond to inquiries about the order.

In New York, similar requests from the Justice Department remain under review. Judges in those cases have...