A federal judge on Monday refused the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury materials used to charge Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime accomplice of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Trump administration looked to break the normal secrecy of grand jury proceedings amid mounting public pressure, including from much of the president’s political base, to release more files on the case.
“Contrary to the Government’s depiction, the Maxwell grand jury testimony is not a matter of significant historical or public interest. Far from it,” U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in his 31-page ruling.
“It consists of garden-variety summary testimony by two law enforcement agents. And the information it contains is already almost entirely a matter of longstanding public recor