Federal Judge Denies DOJ Request to Unseal Ghislaine Maxwell Grand Jury Materials

Tone & Political Bias: Moderately Left-Leaning

Why: The coverage casts skepticism on the Trump DOJ’s motives, highlighting judicial criticism and victim concerns while framing the DOJ request as misleading.

Judge Rejects DOJ Motion

A federal judge has denied the Trump Justice Department’s bid to unseal grand jury testimony and exhibits from the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the ruling, rejecting the government’s claim that the materials held significant historical or public interest. The DOJ had sought access to grand jury evidence from Maxwell’s prosecution and related Jeffrey Epstein cases in New York.

Court’s Rationale

In his opinion, Engelmayer called the DOJ’s premise “demonstrably false,” stating that unsealing the records would not reveal meaningful new information about Maxwell or Epstein’s crimes.

“The Maxwell grand jury testimony is not a matter of significant historical or public interest. Far from it,” the judge wrote.

The judge emphasized that most of the requested material was already public, having been presented during Maxwell’s 2021 trial. He described the content as “garden-variety summary testimony” from law enforcement agents, with details long established in open court.

Criticism of Government Approach

Engelmayer noted that the DOJ appeared unfamiliar with the Maxwell trial record, misidentifying some public information as secret. He suggested that the motion may have been driven more by “diversion” than transparency. The judge warned that anyone expecting new revelations from the grand jury materials “would come away feeling disappointed and misled.”

Victims’ Positions

Several victims submitted anonymous letters to the court. Many did not oppose releasing the materials if identities were protected through redactions. Some expressed concern over being used in “political warfare” and criticized the administration’s lack of respect toward victims. Engelmayer said the victims’ limited opposition was based on the mistaken belief that the records would contain new information.

DOJ’s Broader Push

The Justice Department asked both judges handling the Maxwell and Epstein cases to delay rulings on unsealing until August 14, citing the need to notify victims whose names appeared in the transcripts.

The government first moved to unseal grand jury records on July 18, following pressure from Trump’s political base, Democrats, and the public for greater access to Epstein-related files. CNN previously reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Donald Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files.

Related Epstein Case Pending

A separate request for grand jury materials in Epstein’s case is still pending before Judge Richard Berman. He has not yet ruled on whether to grant or deny the DOJ’s motion.