Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the United States Department of Justice to release and unredact information in the Epstein files by Thursday. The order puts a hard deadline on documents and names the government had kept partly hidden, including material tied to eight emails.
Katie Phang brought the lawsuit that led to the ruling. She argued that the Trump administration violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding documents and names of people in the files without giving a proper explanation for the redactions.
Katie Phang lawsuit
Phang pointed Sullivan to redacted names in emails that discuss women, names of potential co-defendants in a draft indictment against Jeffrey Epstein, and FBI interview notes from agents’ interview with a woman who alleged she was assaulted by President Donald Trump. Sullivan’s ruling said the Epstein Files Transparency Act allowed withholding only in limited situations, such as to protect victims’ identities or in cases of ongoing investigations.
The judge also said the Act required the Attorney General to submit reasons for any information that was withheld or blacked out. In the ruling, Sullivan said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche conceded that he was in violation of the Act by not releasing some names and documents or explaining why he did not.
Eight emails and redactions
Sullivan’s order directs the DOJ to make names public from eight emails that appear to discuss women. One 2013 email says, “New Brazilian just arrived, sexy and cute, 19yo,” and the names of both the sender and recipient were redacted. A 2014 email says, “Thank you for a fun night… Your littlest girl was a little naughty.”
A 2015 email says, “The key are the 14 to 15 year old girls—i am a sexual pervert because i say they are now of a reproductive age?” The emails range from 2009 to 2018, and in 2009 Jeffrey Epstein told an unnamed recipient, “I loved the torture video.”
In March 2018, an unnamed person wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, “I found at least 3 very good young poor but we was so tired. I will cover up this week. Meet this one, not the beauty queen but we both likes her a lot,” and in September 2018, an anonymous person told him, “My favorite from Lithuania, [REDACTED], 19. Will meet when I am there.”
Thursday deadline
The Justice Department had vowed to appeal Sullivan’s ruling, but Sullivan said he would not pause his order to give the government time to appeal the decision. He also said the Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Attorney General to produce the documents and publish the log by December 19, 2025—more than six months ago.
The same order also directed the government to release names from prosecutors’ draft indictment against Jeffrey Epstein in 2007, though that draft indictment was never issued. If the department follows the order, more names and previously redacted material could become public on Thursday.
