A federal judge has officially ordered the Department of Justice to start handing over unredacted documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Columbia U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a ruling on Thursday mandating the government either release the files without redactions or provide a clear, legally sound explanation for why they’re being held back. According to CBS News, Sullivan has given the government until July 2 to comply with the order.
Additionally, he also denied the DOJ’s request that it be given at least seven days, so that the government can decide if it wants to appeal. Politico reported that the judge wrote in his 48-page opinion that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had essentially conceded that the department violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act by failing to adequately address the arguments laid out in the lawsuit.
