Judge orders U.S. Department of Justice to release unredacted Epstein files or explain by July 2
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to release unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files by July 2 or provide a written explanation for why it cannot comply, escalating a legal battle over transparency in one of the most scrutinised cases of the past decade. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s ruling on Thursday grants media legal analyst Katie Phang’s preliminary injunction, compelling the DOJ to justify its continued redactions or face public disclosure of previously withheld material.
The judge’s order follows Phang’s lawsuit against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleging the DOJ violated the 2025 Epstein Act by improperly withholding or redacting documents. According to Sullivan’s opinion, Phang’s legal team identified at least eight email exchanges involving Epstein that were redacted, including references to a “torture video” and alleged sexual activity involving minors. The lawsuit also accuses the DOJ of concealing the names of co-defendants in a draft indictment and withholding 36 materials mentioning former President Donald Trump, including FBI interview notes from a victim who claimed Epstein introduced her to Trump when she was 13 years old. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the allegations.
The DOJ has argued that Phang lacks standing to sue, claiming she should have filed a Freedom of Information Act request instead. However, her legal team contends that prior FOIA requests related to the Epstein files were denied, prompting the lawsuit. The department has already released 3.5 million pages under the Epstein Act, but Phang maintains that additional materials remain improperly redacted or concealed.
The ruling arrives amid broader legal and political turbulence. Three International Criminal Court judges from Canada, Uganda, and Benin have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over sanctions imposed for the ICC’s investigations into Israel and the Palestinian territories, arguing the measures unlawfully target them for performing their judicial duties . Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Liberman has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “dragging Israel toward civil war” to retain power, following mass protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews against the detention of Haredi draft evaders .
In a separate development, House Democrats have filed a discharge petition to permanently dismantle Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, bypassing Speaker Mike Johnson and forcing a floor vote . The move underscores ongoing partisan clashes over government spending and executive overreach.
The Epstein case, long shrouded in controversy, continues to unravel with fresh legal pressure on the DOJ to shed light on its handling of the investigation. Judge Sullivan’s deadline sets the stage for a potential showdown over transparency, with implications for both the legacy of Epstein’s crimes and the integrity of federal record-keeping.
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DOJ ordered to release unredacted Epstein files or explain why it cant A federal judge on Thursday ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to release additional unredacted Jeffrey Epstein records or explain by July 2 why it cant.Why it matters: The ruling could force the DOJ to release previously withheld Epstein records or publicly explain why they remain sealed.Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in D.C. gave the DOJ until July 2 to comply with a preliminary injunction in media legal analyst Katie Phangs lawsuit alleging the department failed to comply with last years Epstein Act.The department has already released 3.5 million pages under the law, but Phang argues it still improperly withheld or redacted additional material.Phang alleges in her suit against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that the department nevertheless violated the Epstein Act for several reasons.Zoom in: In his opinion granting the preliminary injunction, Sullivan noted that Phang alleges the DOJ redacted the names of senders and recipients in "at least eight email exchanges" with Epstein regarding a "torture video" and alleged sexual activity involving young women, including minors.She accuses Blanche of "redacting the names of co-defendants in a draft indictment, the names of individuals identified as co-conspirators."Phang also alleges that Blanche withheld 36 materials mentioning President Trump, specifically, "notes from FBI interviews with a victim who has alleged that in the 1980s, when she was about 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump, who in turn assaulted her."State of play: The DOJ said in a filing this month that Phang cant sue because she should have made a Freedom of Information Act request, but the journalists lawyers argued that she had been denied FOIA requests related to the Epstein files, CBS News reported.Trump has denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein allegations and he hasnt been charged with a crime in connection with them.Representatives of the DOJ did not immediately respond to Axios Thursday evening request for comment.
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