Sept. 17, 2026 · A federal judge
Judge warns Blanche of possible contempt
Axios reported that a federal judge warned Todd Blanche of possible contempt in the Epstein files case.
AxiosPublic Law 119-38
The law that forced the release
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act almost unanimously in November 2025. It ordered the Justice Department to publish its Epstein records within 30 days and barred it from hiding anything to spare officials embarrassment. Ten months later, its sponsors say millions of pages are still withheld.
- July 15, 2025IntroducedReps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie file H.R. 4405.
- Nov. 12, 2025218 signaturesA discharge petition forces a vote over leadership's objection: 214 Democrats and 4 Republicans sign.
- Nov. 18, 2025House passes427 to 1.
- Nov. 19, 2025Senate passesBy unanimous consent, without changes.
- Nov. 19, 2025Signed into lawPresident Donald Trump signs Public Law 119-38.
- Dec. 19, 2025Release deadlineAll covered records were due within 30 days.
The House vote
427 to 1
Every Democrat who voted and all but one Republican who voted said yes on Nov. 18, 2025. The lone no vote came from Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana. The bill reached the floor only after four Republicans joined Democrats on the discharge petition: Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
- Democrat, yes
- Republican, yes
- No
- Did not vote
What the law requires
The Justice Department must publish every unclassified record it holds on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, in a form anyone can search and download. That includes flight logs, the people and officials named in the files, plea and immunity deals, internal decisions about whom to charge, and the records of Epstein's death in custody.
No record may be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.
Section 2(c)
Every redaction needs a written reason, published in the Federal Register and sent to Congress.
The only allowed exceptions
- Victims' names, personal details, and medical files
- Child sexual abuse material
- Material that would harm an active federal investigation, narrowly and for a limited time
- Images of death, abuse, or injury
- Properly classified national-security information, declassified as far as possible
The fight over compliance
See what was redactedJuly 16, 2026 · Massie/Khanna vs. Acting Attorney General Blanche
Massie and Khanna fault DOJ compliance; Blanche defends it
Massie and Khanna said the Justice Department had not fully complied with the transparency law, withholding files it should have released and botching redactions that exposed survivors' names. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the department's compliance but acknowledged errors: "Approximately 1% of the redactions had to be fixed after we released the Epstein files."
Spectrum News 1Jan. 9, 2026 · Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie
Lawmakers ask judge to appoint independent DOJ monitor
Khanna and Massie told a federal judge the Justice Department had "slow-rolled" compliance: after a December release, DOJ said it had identified over a million more documents potentially covered by the law but had released less than 1% of them. They said DOJ missed a January 3 statutory deadline and asked for an independent monitor.
Democracy DocketPending · H.R. 9694
Epstein Files Transparency Act II
Introduced July 15, 2026 by Rep. Thomas Massie.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act II would let victims and states sue the Justice Department over withheld records, give victims their unredacted files, and criminalize concealment by officials. It has not cleared committee; a discharge petition was 2 signatures short of forcing a vote, with the House recessed until November.
216 of 218 signatures
Follow the billCall your representatives
Investigations and lawsuits
Newest first
New Mexico House
New Mexico House creates Epstein 'truth commission'
The New Mexico House created a bipartisan panel with subpoena power to examine Epstein's activities and the state's handling of them. It released an interim report in August 2026, and a final report is due by December 2026.
Active; final report due end of 2026 · Aug. 5, 2026
Santa Fe New MexicanNew Mexico
New Mexico sues DOJ over Zorro Ranch files
New Mexico's attorney general sued the Justice Department and Todd Blanche, saying DOJ blocked the state's access to unredacted files it needs for its own Zorro Ranch investigation despite ten requests. DOJ has said it must protect victims' identities under court order.
Filed; case pending · Aug. 5, 2026
NBC NewsPublic records lawsuit
Democracy Forward's records lawsuit against DOJ closes
Democracy Forward Foundation sued the Justice Department and FBI seeking faster processing of records on the administration's handling of the Epstein matter, including communications mentioning President Trump. A judge ordered expedited processing of most of the request, and the case later closed.
Closed; plaintiff pursued a new case · June 24, 2026
Civil Rights Litigation ClearinghouseDOJ
DOJ says it published 3.5 million Epstein pages
The Justice Department said it had published nearly 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related material by January 2026, using more than 500 attorneys and reviewers. It said the rest was withheld as duplicate records, privileged material, or content unrelated to the Epstein and Maxwell case files.
Partial release; full compliance disputed · April 23, 2026
U.S. Department of JusticeDOJ Office of Inspector General
DOJ's inspector general opens compliance audit
The Justice Department's independent inspector general opened an audit of how the department collected and produced records under the Transparency Act, its rules for withholding or redacting material, and complaints that victims' identifying information had been disclosed after release.
Audit opened; outcome pending · April 23, 2026
DOJ Office of the Inspector GeneralU.S. Senate
Bipartisan senators seek federal audit of DOJ redactions
Four senators asked the Government Accountability Office to independently check whether the Justice Department's redactions to released Epstein files followed the Transparency Act's limits. They cited reports that some victims' identifying information had remained unredacted in released documents.
Request made · March 11, 2026
U.S. Senate Committee on the JudiciaryNew Mexico
NM reopens Zorro Ranch probe
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that New Mexico's attorney general reopened an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's former Zorro Ranch property.
Investigation reopened · March 9, 2026
Santa Fe New MexicanHouse Oversight Committee
Clintons to give depositions
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to depositions scheduled for late February 2026, after it subpoenaed them and several former attorneys general and FBI directors.
Depositions scheduled for February 2026 · Feb. 27, 2026
House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformUnited Kingdom
UK orders review of Epstein flights at RAF bases
The UK's defence secretary ordered the Ministry of Defence to review records on whether Epstein's plane used Royal Air Force bases. A former prime minister called for police to examine whether the arrangement was used for trafficking. This is a records review, not a charge.
Review ordered; outcome pending · Feb. 27, 2026
Forces NewsShow 12 earlier matters
France
French prosecutors open Epstein-linked investigations
Paris prosecutors announced a team to review the Epstein files for evidence involving French nationals in trafficking-related offenses. A separate national financial prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation into tax fraud and money laundering.
Open investigations · Feb. 14, 2026
France 24Senate Judiciary Democrats
Senators ask DOJ watchdog to audit Epstein files
Senators Adam Schiff and Dick Durbin asked the Justice Department's inspector general for an expedited, independent audit of how the department and FBI handled Epstein-related records, including chain-of-custody documentation. They said they were concerned about possible tampering or concealment.
Request made; inspector general later opened audit · Dec. 11, 2025
Office of Sen. Adam SchiffFederal court in Manhattan
Manhattan judge allows Epstein grand jury records unsealed
A Manhattan judge denied DOJ's request to unseal Epstein grand jury records, saying the government held more material it could release on its own. After Congress passed the Transparency Act, a second judge granted a request tied to the Maxwell case, ordering a victim-privacy review.
Initially denied; later granted after new law · Dec. 9, 2025
Al JazeeraFederal court in Florida
Florida judge orders Epstein records unsealed
CNN reported that a federal judge in Florida ordered the unsealing of grand jury transcripts and records in the Epstein investigation.
Unsealing ordered · Dec. 5, 2025
CNNPublic records lawsuit
Democracy Defenders Fund sues DOJ over Epstein files
Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit led by former U.S. ambassador Norm Eisen, sued the Justice Department seeking records on communications mentioning President Trump or Mar-a-Lago, and on Ghislaine Maxwell's prison transfer. The group's leader called DOJ's stance "stonewalling."
Filed; case pending · Dec. 4, 2025
Democracy Defenders FundHouse Oversight Committee
Committee subpoenas banks, Virgin Islands over Epstein
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank for Jeffrey Epstein's financial records. It also asked the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general for documents on Epstein's island properties, tax breaks, and contacts with local officials.
Subpoenas issued; Virgin Islands request pending · Nov. 18, 2025
House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformU.S. Virgin Islands
Committee seeks Virgin Islands records on Epstein
The U.S. Virgin Islands settled its own 2020 lawsuit against the Epstein estate for more than $105 million in 2022. In November 2025, the House Oversight Committee asked the territory's attorney general for records on Epstein's local businesses, tax breaks, and contacts with past officials.
Request pending; 2022 estate case settled · Nov. 18, 2025
House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformHouse Oversight Committee
Committee subpoenas Epstein estate, releases its records
The committee subpoenaed the executors of Jeffrey Epstein's estate for documents, including a reported album of letters compiled for his 50th birthday. It released the records the estate provided, and its chairman said the review found no allegation of wrongdoing against President Trump.
Issued and complied with; records released · Sept. 8, 2025
House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformHouse Oversight Committee
Committee releases 33,000 pages of DOJ Epstein records
The Justice Department delivered about 33,295 pages of Epstein-related records to the House Oversight Committee, which released them publicly. The committee said it expected to keep receiving further batches, with victims' identities and child sexual abuse material redacted.
Released; more records expected in batches · Sept. 2, 2025
House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformDOJ
DOJ releases Blanche's interview with Maxwell
The Hill reported that the Justice Department released Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview transcripts with Ghislaine Maxwell.
Transcripts released · Aug. 22, 2025
The HillHouse Oversight Committee
House Oversight Committee subpoenas DOJ
NPR reported that the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for its Epstein investigation files.
Subpoena issued · Aug. 5, 2025
NPRDOJ and FBI
DOJ and FBI memo finds no 'incriminating client list'
The Justice Department and FBI released a memo saying their review found no incriminating client list, no credible evidence Epstein blackmailed prominent people, and no basis to investigate anyone not charged. It also restated the FBI's finding that Epstein died by suicide in 2019.
Released; internal review closed at the time · July 7, 2025
U.S. Department of Justice