A federal judge on Friday gave the Justice Department permission to release transcripts of a grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of underage girls in Florida — a case that ultimately ended without any federal charges being filed against the millionaire sex offender.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said a recently passed federal law ordering the release of records related to the cases overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury.
The law signed last month by President Donald Trump compels the Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors to release later this month the vast troves of material they have amassed during investigations into Epstein.
When the documents will be released is unknown. The government had asked the court for permission to include the usually secret grand jury records in the files they are required to make public under the new federal law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Justice Department hasn’t set a timetable for when it plans to start releasing information, but the law set a deadline of Dec. 19.
Other news we’re following:
Vaccine advisory committee changes hepatitis B shot recommendations: The federal committee voted Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders decried the actions of the panel members, all appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a former anti-vaccine activist.Trump awarded new FIFA peace prize: Trump took center stage at Friday’s World Cup draw, rolling out the welcome mat for teams and fans from around the globe. He was honored for his peacemaking efforts by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who previously said Trump should have won the Nobel for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.Administration to direct more water to California farms: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Thursday announced a new plan for operating the Central Valley Project, a vast system of pumps, dams and canals that direct water southward from the state’s wetter north. It follows an executive order Trump signed in January calling for more water to flow to farmers, arguing the state was wasting the precious resource in the name of protecting endangered fish species.