Judge orders Justice Department to reveal unredacted Epstein files, or explain why

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the Justice Department to unredact additional Epstein records or explain by July 2, 2026, why the material must stay hidden, after finding the government likely violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act in a lawsuit brought by attorney and independent journalist Katie Phang in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The 2025 law, signed by President Trump on November 19, 2025, requires the Justice Department to publish unclassified records tied to Jeffrey Epstein, including material relating to Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, and people named or referenced in connection with Epstein’s criminal activity. Congress allowed DOJ to withhold victims’ personal information and certain sensitive or privileged material, along with some records that could jeopardize an active federal investigation, but Sullivan’s order now forces the department to show where each withholding fits those exceptions.

The Justice Department released more than 3 million additional pages on January 30, bringing the total production to about 3.5 million pages, along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The department’s Epstein Library, last updated June 9, includes redactions to protect victim names and other identifying information and warns that, because of the volume of material, the site may still contain inadvertent personal data or other sensitive content. Some records carry pre-existing redactions required by law, regulations, and court orders.

Earlier releases drew criticism after some survivors’ identities appeared unredacted despite DOJ assurances that victim information would be protected. Sullivan’s order could force the government to make more of the Epstein files public or to give a document-by-document legal explanation for keeping them sealed.