A federal judge in Florida has rejected the Trump administration’s bid to unseal grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg of the Southern District of Florida ruled Wednesday that her “hands are tied” by established legal precedent, denying the Department of Justice’s petition to release transcripts from grand jury proceedings conducted in West Palm Beach in 2005 and 2007.
The 12-page order explicitly states that “Eleventh Circuit law does not permit this Court to grant the Government’s request; the Court’s hands are tied—a point that the Government concedes”. Judge Rosenberg emphasized that the government’s request did not meet any of the narrow exceptions under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) that would allow for disclosure of typically secret grand jury materials.
The ruling hinges on a 2020 Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Pitch v. United States, which held that district courts lack inherent authority to release grand jury materials outside of Rule 6(e)(3). This precedent severely restricts judicial discretion in unsealing grand jury records, even in cases of significant public interest.
Judge Rosenberg noted that while other federal circuits, including the Second and Seventh Circuits, recognize a “special circumstances” exception for historical cases or matters of significant public interest, the Eleventh Circuit explicitly rejected this approach. The government acknowledged this legal constraint in its filing, conceding that the court was bound by the Pitch decision.
The DOJ also sought to transfer the case to the Southern District of New York, where parallel grand jury proceedings against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell took place. However, Judge Rosenberg denied this request as well, finding that the petition did not “arise out of a judicial proceeding” in New York but rather from public interest following a recent DOJ memorandum about the case.
The court determined that the government’s request was motivated by transparency concerns rather than litigation needs, distinguishing it from typical transfer scenarios where grand jury materials are needed for ongoing legal proceedings.
The unsealing request comes amid significant controversy within the Trump administration over handling of Epstein-related files. On July 6, 2025, the DOJ and FBI released a memorandum concluding that their “exhaustive review” found no evidence of an Epstein “client list” and confirmed that Epstein died by suicide in 2019.
This memo contradicted earlier statements by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who claimed in February that a client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”
The court’s denial comes as President Trump faces rare backlash from his own political base over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Prominent Trump supporters, including far-right activist Laura Loomer and tech billionaire Elon Musk, have criticized the administration’s apparent about-face on transparency promises.
Some MAGA influencers have even called for Bondi’s resignation, though Trump has continued to express support for his attorney general.
While the Florida court rejected the unsealing request, similar petitions remain pending in New York federal court, where judges are still considering DOJ requests to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein’s 2019 indictment and Maxwell’s 2020 prosecution. Those judges have requested additional briefing from the government and are expected to rule in the coming weeks.
Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of conspiracy to transport minors for criminal sexual activity and sex trafficking, is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. Her conviction was affirmed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 2024.
As a result of Wednesday’s ruling, the Florida grand jury transcripts from the mid-2000s investigation into Epstein will remain sealed, continuing to fuel speculation and conspiracy theories about what information they might contain.
