Judge orders DOJ to disclose Jeffrey Epstein files

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has issued a deadline to Attorney General Todd Blanche, requiring the Department of Justice to disclose withheld Jeffrey Epstein files or explain its non-compliance. The judge rejected the Department's arguments regarding redactions intended to protect victims, ordering the agency to provide handwritten FBI interrogation notes for in-camera review and to begin reviewing foreign-language documents.

In response to the order, the Department of Justice filed an appeal and requested a stay on the deadlines. Legal representatives for journalist Katie Phang, who is suing to enforce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, criticized the Department's actions as “egregiously late.” They argued that the Attorney General waited 85 days after the initial June order to seek a pause and noted that the request for a ruling by Monday afternoon was made without following standard procedural norms regarding communication with opposing counsel.