Southern District of New York Judge Paul Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, concluded that the government failed to make a compelling case for a broad disclosure.<\/b>
\nA Manhattan federal judge rejected a petition by the Trump administration Monday to unseal grand jury documents in the case against deceased sex predator Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
US District Judge Paul Engelmayer, a Barack Obama appointee, concluded that the government failed to make a compelling case for disclosure of the grand jury testimony, which typically remains sealed.
\u201cThe Government does not seek tailored disclosure of discrete items within a grand jury record,\u201d Engelmayer wrote in his opinion.
\u201cNor does it seek leave to disseminate grand jury materials to a specified audience. It seeks disclosure to the public at large of the entire proceedings before the Maxwell grand jury, subject only to redactions aimed at protecting privacy.\u201d
Attorney General Pam Bondi petitioned for the release July 18 amid ongoing controversy over the Epstein case.
Engelmayer took note of the political interest in his decision, but stressed that it didn\u2019t impact his decision.<\/p>\n