Federal judge in Florida orders release of long-hidden Epstein grand jury documents

After the nearly unanimous passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month, many have wondered what other files and information have yet to be disclosed amid the heated controversy over the Epstein files.

A federal judge in Florida just ordered the release of grand jury documents from an old case against Epstein, defying past orders not to release them.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith argued that a recent law now takes precedence over the rules that prohibited past disclosure.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith has ordered the release of grand jury transcripts related to investigations from 2005 and 2007 involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

RELATED: Was the latest Epstein document dump just Trump’s 4D chess trap? Steve Deace answers.

Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

Grand jury proceedings are often conducted in private and there are higher standards to meet in order to disclose transcripts from them.

However, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith, in his short decision to release the transcripts, argued that a recent law now takes precedence over the rules that prohibited past disclosure.

Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky), who spearheaded the effort for disclosure, posted the news of the ruling on X on Friday afternoon.

Massie highlighted the fact that the Epstein Files Transparency Act played a crucial role in the judge's decision to override past decisions against disclosure.

The Act, being "later-enacted" and more "specific", trumps the rules barring the release of the documents in the past.

Epstein was not convicted of any crimes as a result of this grand jury investigation..

Instead, he famously pleaded guilty to comparatively minor charges in 2008 under the U.S. Attorney at the time, Alex Acosta, who later became Trump's Labor Secretary in his first term. Acosta subsequently resigned following scrutiny over the non-prosecution agreement in 2008.

It is not clear when the grand jury transcripts will be released or exactly how much new information will be disclosed.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law on November 19, gives the government 30 days to prepare and release all relevant records.

Those following the case can expect an update on the release of any remaining files by December 19.

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