Florida Judge Orders Release of Epstein Grand Jury Files, President Donald Trump Signs Epstein Files Transparency Act

Last week, a Florida judge ordered the release of grand-jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s early federal investigations — documents that had been sealed from public view for nearly twenty years. According to CBS News and recent court filings, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith approved the Justice Department’s request for unsealing after Congress passed, and the president signed, the new Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law requires the Department of Justice to make public almost all unclassified materials related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Under the act, the Justice Department must release investigative records, internal emails, financial documents, flight logs, and grand-jury transcripts, with only classified information and victim-identifying details withheld. The order covers transcripts from federal grand juries convened in West Palm Beach in 2005 and 2007, which evaluated whether Epstein would face federal charges. He ultimately avoided federal prosecution and instead received a state-level plea agreement that has drawn scrutiny for more than a decade.

Ahead of the House vote on the act in late November 2025, President Donald Trump made headlines when he responded to a reporter’s question about releasing the files by saying, “Quiet, piggy,” before later publicly calling on Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson supported the legislation, issuing a statement saying, “I’ll be voting to release all the Epstein files. Americans deserve the truth. Survivors deserve peace. And the perpetrators must be brought to justice. I’m not here to shield pedophiles or hide information from the American people. It’s time to make the files public.”

Governor Ron DeSantis has also backed efforts to make Epstein-related records public. In February 2024, he signed HB 117, a bipartisan measure allowing the release of sealed grand-jury testimony from a 2006 Florida investigation into Epstein’s abuse of minors. Under that Florida law, testimony may be disclosed if the subject is deceased, the case involved sexual conduct with a minor, the testimony has been previously released by a court, and the state attorney is notified.

For years, courts in both Florida and New York rejected attempts to unseal the federal grand-jury material, even after the Trump administration initially sought release in early 2025. Judges cited federal rules governing grand-jury secrecy and noted that extensive civil litigation had already produced a large public record.

With the new order, the transcripts are expected to be released once the Justice Department completes required redactions. It remains unclear what information they will contain or whether they will alter public understanding of the decisions that shaped Epstein’s original plea agreement.

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