A federal judge in New York, Richard Berman, has denied the U.S. Department of Justice's request to unseal the grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the 2019 indictment of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges. This ruling marks the third time the Justice Department's efforts to release these materials have been blocked by the courts. Judge Berman, a Clinton appointee who presided over related cases including that of Ghislaine Maxwell, described the DOJ's motion as a "diversion," noting that the government already possesses over 100,000 pages of Epstein investigative files, which he said far outweigh the roughly 70 pages of grand jury materials sought for release. The judge emphasized that the secrecy of grand jury proceedings outweighs the government's asserted interests in disclosure and suggested that the Justice Department is the appropriate party to decide on releasing additional information to the public. The decision also cited concerns about protecting the privacy and safety of victims who testified during the grand jury proceedings. This development comes amid ongoing public and political interest in the Epstein case and the Trump administration's attempts to make more information available.