The U.S. Department of Justice on 14 July filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to deny Ghislaine Maxwell’s petition to overturn her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction. Prosecutors said the 2007 non-prosecution agreement that Jeffrey Epstein reached in Florida was limited to that jurisdiction and did not protect Maxwell or constrain federal charges brought later in New York. Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote that Maxwell’s arguments are “incorrect” and would fail in any appellate court. The former British socialite was convicted of conspiring with Epstein to exploit underage girls and is serving a 20-year sentence at FCI Tallahassee. Maxwell’s siblings responded in a public statement that she “did not receive a fair trial.” They said her legal team will file a reply to the government’s brief and may seek a writ of habeas corpus, alleging government misconduct. Defense lawyer David Oscar Markus contends the United States reneged on the 2007 deal and has appealed to former President Donald Trump to review the matter. The court filing intensifies scrutiny of the Justice Department’s handling of the broader Epstein case. Last week Attorney General Pam Bondi said a review found no evidence of a long-rumoured client list, prompting calls from House Speaker Mike Johnson for greater transparency and for Maxwell to testify before Congress.