A US federal judge on Friday ordered the release of the grand jury transcripts from the investigation in Florida of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Justice Department requested the unsealing of the transcripts after US President Donald Trump signed a bill last month requiring the public release of all government records regarding Epstein.
Grand jury proceedings are generally kept secret and a previous Justice Department request to unseal the transcripts from Epstein’s Florida case had been rebuffed.
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But US District Judge Rodney Smith said on Friday in a brief order that the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates their release.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
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The wealthy financier was arrested again in New York in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors. He died while in pre-trial detention and his death was ruled to be a suicide.