Judge orders DOJ to produce, unredact sought after Epstein files
Source: The Hill
06/25/26 6:49 PM ET
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 Generals 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.
Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5941665-doj-epstein-files-lawsuit/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.291779/gov.uscourts.dcd.291779.15.0.pdf
Escape
(547 posts)I'm sure the DOJ will get right on it.
This ruling will be ignored for six months, challenged briefly and then ignored through 2028.
Karasu
(2,324 posts)Bluetus
(3,312 posts)The key thing is that Phang has identified a small set of very specific documents that will show conclusively that Epstein was traffficking minors for sex and that Trump was partaking.
Let them try to dodge that. This should quickly become known as "The Phang Documents". And every time Trump speaks, he should be asked, "When are you going to release THE PHANG DOCUMENTS.
After a little bit of time, it will not matter if they release them or not because we can simply assert that THE PHANG DOCUMENTS THAT TRUMP IS HIDING show he was having sex with minors procured by Epstein. If it isn't true, simply comply with the court order and release THE PHANG DOCUMENTS without redaction.
And the beauty of this is that Trump cannot sue anybody for defamation because the documents would have to be produced in discovery. So we can continue to taunt him. "Hey Donald, if THE PHANG DOCUMENTS don't show that you and Epstein were trafficking young girls for sex, why aren't you suing the people who have claimed that?"
pat_k
(14,520 posts)She has standing and demonstrated harms.
Two hurdles that were not certain to be cleared.
And there is no way they can "show cause" under which to continue non-compliance with the law.
Time will tell, but this opens the door to additional lawsuits
Katie Phang is doing us all a service in bringing this lawsuit.
Whip-poor-will
(641 posts)Roll the tapes tonight charge every macho raping male maybe even epstein's best bud.
This country couldn't handle a 13 year old snuff film if they ever surface.
Eight years the cover up of the real evidence the CDs and hard drives and tapes.
epstein business was blackmail and hidden cameras knowing where they are pointed would produce much material to gather such a huge sum of money.
There are many rich raping pigs ...Where are the tapes kash
The other thing the tapes show are missing dead girls, the ones that may have fallen out of the copter giving the girls a ride back to the main land
aggiesal
(11,002 posts)BeneteauBum
(957 posts)Peace ☮️
dave99
(582 posts)let those well hidden in the US DoJ now send out what they wanted to years ago
ificandream
(11,869 posts)Really miss her MSNBC/MS NOW show.