(NewsNation) — A federal judge has granted a Justice Department request to unseal grand jury transcripts from the 2019 sex trafficking case against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
The ruling from Judge Richard M. Berman is a reversal of his previous order, which kept the transcripts secret.
In Wednesday’s decision, he cited a new law requiring the Department of Justice to release files related to Epstein.
The ruling marks the third decision by a judge to unseal transcripts related to Epstein in recent days. On Tuesday, a judge ruled exhibits and investigative materials from the sex trafficking case against longtime Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell can be unsealed, and last week, a judge said materials from an abandoned 2000s grand jury investigation into Epstein could be made public.
The Justice Department faces a Dec. 19 deadline to release the files, which President Donald Trump had pledged to make public during his campaign.
After taking office, Trump reversed his position and began referring to the files as a “Democratic hoax,” even as he faced pressure from lawmakers and his supporters.
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 18, and Trump signed the bill into law on Nov. 19. Identifying information regarding Epstein’s accusers will be redacted.
Trump has focused on Democrats whose names have been mentioned in previously released materials — as was his own name. Being named in the files is not in itself an indicator of wrongdoing, as the material gathered by investigators includes names of witnesses and associates of Epstein’s who are not known to have committed any crimes.
In an interview with the Justice Department, Maxwell said she never saw Trump in an inappropriate setting. She was later transferred to a minimum-security federal prison in Texas.
Epstein accusers have long pushed for the files to be released, and some have already shared their stories.
In her posthumously published memoir, Virginia Guiffre recounted an encounter with then-Prince Andrew, who she said had sex with her when she was underage.
Following increased scrutiny, Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his royal residence by his brother, King Charles.
It is not clear when the DOJ plans to release the files.