A federal judge in Florida denied a Justice Department request to unseal grand jury records tied to federal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein,

A public order released Wednesday by district judge Robin Rosenberg stated that her “hands are tied” in releasing  transcripts related to federal grand juries which convened in West Palm Beach from 2005 and 2007 in connection with the investigation into Epstein, given an existing precedent in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals which only permits the disclosure of such grand jury materials under narrow exceptions.

Judge Rosenberg faulted the Justice Department for failing to outline sufficient arguments to justify the unsealing of the records, which are normally protected under strict secrecy rules. The Florida ruling was separate from a request that the Justice Department has pending related to a grand jury in the Southern District of New York, where Epstein was ultimately indicted. Judge Rosenberg also denied a request to transfer the issue into the jurisdiction of the Southern District of New York.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in New York. His accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is now serving a 20-year sentence.

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