Judge Rejects Request to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Records

• Aug 21, 2025

A federal judge in New York has denied an effort by the Trump administration to unseal grand jury testimony related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, ruling that the government did not provide sufficient justification for breaking with long-standing secrecy rules.

The decision reaffirms the principle that grand jury proceedings are meant to remain confidential, with very limited exceptions. According to the judge, prosecutors failed to establish the kind of “special circumstances” required to release the materials, which are generally protected to safeguard witnesses and preserve the integrity of the judicial process.

Grand jury testimony is typically sealed under federal law, with courts only allowing disclosure under extraordinary conditions. In this case, the government argued for unsealing but was unable to persuade the court that the situation warranted such a step.

The move effectively blocks public access to sensitive testimony from the Epstein case, which has remained the subject of widespread public scrutiny following his 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges and his death in jail later that year. Epstein’s associations with high-profile individuals and the scope of his alleged crimes have fueled ongoing calls for transparency.

However, legal experts note that the ruling is consistent with how U.S. courts typically handle grand jury records. Judges are cautious about setting precedents that could weaken protections around confidential testimony, fearing that doing so might discourage witnesses from speaking openly in future investigations.

CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman explained that the ruling underscores how difficult it is to access grand jury material, even in cases that attract significant public interest. “The court made clear that without a compelling and exceptional reason, the secrecy of grand jury proceedings remains intact,” Kaufman reported.

The ruling does not prevent other legal efforts in connection with the Epstein case from moving forward, but it does close the door on this specific attempt to make the testimony public. For now, much of what was said behind closed doors during the investigation will remain sealed.