Judge Grants Request to Unseal Ghislaine Maxwell Grand Jury Records

Judge cites disclosure law signed by President Trump

A federal judge in Manhattan has ordered the Justice Department to unseal the grand jury records in the Ghislaine Maxwell case. This comes after Congress passed a new law last month requiring the government to release all of its files on Jeffrey Epstein by December 19 — just 10 days away.

Maxwell was Epstein’s longtime companion. She’s serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor and other charges. The grand jury records cover the federal investigation that led to those charges.

Attorney General Pam Bondi filed the request to unseal the documents. She asked the judge to move quickly because the deadline in the new law is approaching. Bondi also went to a separate judge to ask for the grand jury materials from Epstein’s 2019 case. Epstein was indicted that July on federal sex-trafficking charges. He was found dead in his jail cell the next month. His death was ruled a suicide. Judge Richard Berman, who handled that case, hasn’t made a decision yet on unsealing those records.

Over the summer, both judges rejected similar requests. They said the long-standing rules around grand jury secrecy still applied. Bondi renewed her push immediately after the new law took effect, arguing that Congress has now made its intent clear.

Her latest motion says Congress meant to override some of the basic reasons grand jury material is usually kept secret — like protecting people who were never charged from embarrassment or public blowback. The new law forbids the Justice Department from withholding files simply because they might embarrass someone, damage a reputation, or create political headaches. That includes public officials, celebrities, and even foreign dignitaries.

There are still limits. Anything that could identify victims, reveal personal medical information, or interfere with an active federal investigation can stay sealed. But otherwise, the law orders the Justice Department to release the records in full.

This ruling comes as a judge in Florida — in a separate case — also agreed to unseal grand jury materials from a 2005 investigation into Epstein’s abuse of teenage girls. That case ended with Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, widely seen as shockingly lenient, which allowed him to avoid federal prosecution.

Together, the new law and these rulings mean a large amount of long-hidden material related to Epstein and Maxwell may soon become public.

I’ll be following the story closely. Subscribe to TheRobArcher.com to get new articles direct to your email.