Judge orders DOJ to produce, unredact sought after Epstein files

Court Battles Judge orders DOJ to produce, unredact sought after Epstein files by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/25/26 6:49 PM ET Link copied by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/25/26 6:49 PM ET Link copied

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On Thursday, a federal judge based in Washington, D.C., ordered the Justice Department to unredact additional pages of the Epstein files in a suit brought by attorney and independent journalist Katie Phang.

The preliminary injunction orders redactions be removed in key documents of interest in the files, including “at least eight email exchanges with Mr. Epstein regarding a ‘torture video’ and sexual activity with young women, including minors” as well as interviews with a woman who said she was abused by President Trump as a minor.

“The Attorney General’s arguments are unpersuasive. First, Ms. Phang has identified ‘some concrete consequences of not receiving the information.’ She has identified ‘half a dozen stories she is currently unable to report’ because the Attorney General has not disclosed the information,” U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan wrote in a decision that also found Phang had a right to bring the case under the Administrative Procedures Act.

He also rebuffed the idea that Phang could have simply requested the documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), noting that the department itself had previously said the Epstein Files Transparency Act “directed a much broader and less redacted release of the files than would have been made under the FOIA. Certain exemptions which may have been made under FOIA were not made” in the Epstein Act release.

The Justice Department must either produce the documents or “show cause” as to why they cannot comply.

Some of the details sought by Phang have since been unveiled — including that Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem was the one who had been emailing the now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein about the torture video.

But Phang’s suit also sought further information about a tranche of documents that detailed the FBI’s interviews with a woman who claimed Trump violently attacked her as a minor.

“I have standing to be able to get Todd Blanche to comply with Judge Sullivan’s order, which is now telling him that on or before July 2, he either has to put up or shut up. He either has to bring forth unredacted files or show cause as to why he should not or cannot do so,” Phang said during an appearance on MeidasTouch, saying her suit covers “some of the most egregious, egregious email communications with Jeffrey Epstein talking about little girls being naughty” as well as Trump’s accuser.

The FBI found the woman to be credible and interviewed her four times.

But even after the Justice Department released more files related to her interviews, various outlets said after reviewing the documents’ serial numbers that 37 pages of her account were still missing.

The Justice Department did not respond to request for comment and also did not respond to a 1 p.m. deadline issued by Sullivan to respond in the case.

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