'Hands are tied': Trump DOJ loses bid to unseal Epstein grand jury testimony
A federal judge in Florida rejected a bid from President Donald Trump's Justice Department on July 23 to unseal grand jury testimony tied to a two-decades-old investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Justice Department asked the federal court in the Southern District of Florida to release transcripts from grand jury investigations that took place in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 and 2007.
However, Judge Robin L. Rosenberg ruled that she doesn't have the power to order the records' release. She said she is bound by a past ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which governs Florida federal courts and only allows for releasing grand jury records in narrow circumstances.
"(T)he Court's hands are tied," Rosenberg wrote in the order.
The ruling does not apply to separate requests from the Justice Department for the Manhattan federal court to unseal grand jury testimony for federal criminal cases filed in that court against Epstein and his associate, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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