Obama-Appointed Judge Denies DOJ Request To Unseal Maxwell Grand Jury Materials

Judge Paul Engelmayer denied the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to unseal the grand jury material in Ghislaine Maxwell’s case Monday.

In his 31-page decision, U.S. District Engelmayer, stated that the grand jury materials only mention Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell in connection with alleged sexual contact with a minor and do not identify any other individuals, according to the opinion, which cited a person familiar with the documents.

Engelmayer was nominated by former President Barack Obama in February 2011 and confirmed by the Senate in July of that year.

🚨 BREAKING: Obama judge Paul Engelmayer has just DENIED the DOJ’s request to unseal the grand jury materials in Ghislaine Maxwell’s case

As predicted… pic.twitter.com/eWpk82plUZ

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 11, 2025

Engelmayer stated that since the government acknowledged much of the information is already public, there is no valid reason to release the grand jury documents. (RELATED: REPORT: Ghislaine Maxwell Moved To Minimum Security Texas Prison)

He noted the government’s original case included testimony from women who were allegedly abused as minors by Epstein and Maxwell, as well as statements from employees and law enforcement officials.

The government’s additional evidence involved photographs, items seized from Epstein’s properties, flight logs and an address book.

One of the key reasons Engelmayer gave for denying the request to unseal the grand jury transcripts was the long-standing “rule of secrecy” that governs grand jury proceedings.

In his ruling, he dismissed the government’s argument the push to unseal was driven by “abundant public interest,” saying it “fails at the threshold.”

“Its entire premise — that the Maxwell grand jury materials would bring to light meaningful new information about Epstein’s and Maxwell’s crimes, or the Government’s investigation into them — is demonstrably false,” Engelmeyer continued.

However, since the government has admitted that much of the information it wants to release is already part of the public record — either presented during Maxwell’s trial or reported elsewhere — Engelmayer stated there’s no compelling public interest that justifies the rare and extraordinary step of unsealing grand jury records just to scrutinize the government’s intentions. (RELATED: Epstein Victims Issue Statement Condemning Trump After Maxwell Moved To Cushy New Prison)

He went on to state that the public is free to draw its own conclusions about why the DOJ filed the motion, while arguing that Maxwell’s testimony “is not a matter of significant historical or public interest.”

BREAKING: Judge Engelmeyer has *denied* the Trump administration’s bid to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury material. https://t.co/Cn3nqJFK5u pic.twitter.com/E6UZNecxan

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 11, 2025

“Far from it. It consists of garden-variety summary testimony by two law enforcement agents,” he continued. “And the information it contains is already almost entirely a matter of longstanding public record, principally as a result of live testimony by percipient witnesses at the 2021 Maxwell trial.”

Maxwell appealed her conviction in February 2023, but the ruling was upheld.

She filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court on April 10, 2025, arguing the non-prosecution agreement Epstein made with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida should have protected her from being prosecuted in the Southern District of New York. (RELATED: Rep. Massie Calls For Ghislaine Maxwell To Testify ‘If She Has Information That Could Help Us’)

MORE: Engelmeyer says he reviewed the grand jury material and confirmed there is virtually nothing in it that isn’t public already. It would “not reveal new information of any consequence.” https://t.co/3SaPwQIMA8 pic.twitter.com/9RZnDhgNz4

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 11, 2025

The DOJ formally petitioned a Manhattan federal judge on July 18 to unseal grand jury testimony from the Epstein and Maxwell prosecution.