A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to release more unredacted Jeffrey Epstein records or justify keeping them sealed by July 2, with redacted versions of the files including sensitive interview notes documenting a minor’s uncorroborated sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, a Clinton-appointed judge, issued the order after granting a preliminary injunction sought by independent journalist Katie Phang, who sued Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April. She alleged that the Justice Department failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act that was signed last year when she requested several documents. The law requires the government to make Epstein-related investigative records public while allowing limited redactions to protect victims and other legally protected information.

More than half of the six million files have been made publicly available, with the remaining files withheld because of legal privilege protections or because they are duplicates, according to the Justice Department. But the department has faced growing criticism over the scope of its redactions, with critics arguing it has concealed information that should be public under the law.

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In a 48-page memorandum, Sullivan ordered the Justice Department to either disclose less-redacted versions of several key Epstein records or justify the redactions. The documents covered by the order include eight emails with hidden senders or recipients; a 2007 draft federal indictment — with the names of potential co-conspirators redacted — that was never filed; and a 2019 email referencing alleged co-conspirators whose identities were obscured.

Among the redacted records is an email — with the recipient’s identity concealed — in which Epstein wrote that he «loved» a torture video he watched. During the litigation, Blanche suggested the recipient was wealthy Middle Eastern businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.

The order also covers FBI records summarizing 2019 interviews with a woman who made allegations involving President Donald Trump. In the FBI’s interview summary, the woman alleged she met Epstein when she was 14 or 15 years old and that he later introduced her to Trump, whom she accused of sexually assaulting her in explicit detail. Those claims are uncorroborated, and the president has denied the allegations. Trump was friends with the late financier in the 1990s and early 2000s but cut ties after a falling-out in the mid-2000s.

The Justice Department is also required to issue a complete log of every redaction made in records released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

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The Justice Department had argued the lawsuit should be dismissed because Phang could have sought the records through the Freedom of Information Act. Sullivan rejected that argument, concluding that FOIA did not provide Phang an «adequate remedy.»

Phang’s lawyers said the department’s previous denial of related FOIA requests showed that FOIA was not an adequate way to obtain the records.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

«I have standing to be able to get Todd Blanche to comply with Judge Sullivan’s order, which is now telling him that on or before July 2, he either has to put up or shut up,» Phang said during an appearance on the MeidasTouch network. «He either has to bring forth unredacted files or show cause as to why he should not or cannot do so.»

The ruling also noted that the department itself had previously acknowledged the Epstein Files Transparency Act required broader disclosure than would ordinarily occur through FOIA, including limiting certain exemptions typically available under federal public records law.

Jeffrey Epstein’s mugshot was taken in New York in 2019 after federal authorities filed trafficking charges against him. (Kypros/Getty Images)

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Sullivan has become a prominent figure in cases involving Trump and his allies. He oversaw former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s criminal case and challenged the Trump Justice Department’s effort to drop the charges after Flynn pleaded guilty. Sullivan also presided over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot cases.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the White House for comment.

A British man who was believed to have been murdered after he was found slumped over on a blood-soaked bench last year actually passed out drunk on a knife in his own bag, officials said this week.

Authorities initially believed Robert Brown, 57, was stabbed to death after he was found on Aug. 1, 2025, in Northampton, England, according to reports from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.

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Three people were eventually arrested in connection with his death and later released. A coroner on Thursday ruled Brown’s death a «tragic accident.»

Investigators believe Brown, who authorities said had alcohol dependence issues, fell into a deep sleep and put his weight on his bag, resulting in the knife piercing his body.

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Robert Brown, 57, had alcohol dependency issues, authorities said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)

The blade penetrated the bag and all three layers of Brown’s clothing, slashing his arm and leaving him to bleed out as he slept, authorities said.

Brown’s alcoholism made him vulnerable to blood loss, experts said at a court hearing.

Police on the scene behind Auctioneers Court near Northampton town center during the investigation into the death of Robert Brown, who was found fatally injured on a bench on the towpath on Aug. 1. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)

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Northamptonshire Police dropped the murder inquiry in February, saying Brown’s death was likely self-inflicted. Investigators noted that there was no apparent motive to murder Brown.

«We have reviewed the extensive amount of information gathered as part of the investigation, including all forensic submissions, and can confirm the evidence does not support the hypothesis that his death was a homicide,» police said at the time.

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