A stunned Capitol Hill froze as federal judges slammed the DOJ with orders to unseal Epstein and Maxwell grand jury files, exposing potential delays and redaction battles that threaten the December 19, 2025, deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Between December 5 and 10, 2025, three judges issued rulings overriding decades of secrecy: Judge Rodney Smith (Florida) on December 5 for Epstein’s 2005–2007 probe; Judge Paul Engelmayer (New York) on December 9 for Maxwell’s 2021 case; and Judge Richard Berman (New York) on December 10 for Epstein’s 2019 investigation. The orders, citing the Act signed by President Trump on November 19, mandate disclosure of transcripts and materials, with victim-privacy redactions.
The rulings rebuke DOJ delays, with Engelmayer criticizing “lip service” to notifications and Berman rejecting Maxwell’s habeas-linked objections. Survivors hailed them as vindication, amplified by Giuffre’s Nobody’s Girl (October 21, 2025). Yet redaction disputes loom: DOJ cites “active investigations,” prompting fears of shielding elites like Trump, Clinton, and Gates from November releases.
The December 19 deadline now hangs in balance—transparency promised, but battles over what remains hidden threaten to dilute it. With 3.5 million X posts demanding unredacted files (70% supportive), the judges’ thunder exposes the DOJ’s tightrope: comply fully, or risk contempt.
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