New York judge orders release of Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records from 2019 case

( NBC )

A federal judge in New York on Wednesday granted the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury records in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case.

The move comes a day after a separate judge ordered the release of grand jury records related to Ghislaine Maxwell.

In his order, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman cited the law that Congress passed last month that required the DOJ to release all of its records related to Epstein, calling the act's language "clear."

"The Court hereby grants the Government's motion in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and with the unequivocal right of Epstein victims to have their identity and privacy protected," he wrote in the four-page ruling.

He explained that he agreed with attorneys for survivors of Epstein, who he said wrote to the court to say that disclosure “CANNOT come at the expense of the privacy, safety, and protection of sexual abuse and sex trafficking victims.”

Berman also referenced language from the law that laid out the type of personal material that should be withheld, including survivors’ personal and medical files.

It’s unclear when the materials will be released.

NBC News has reached out to the Justice Department and Epstein's estate for comment.

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Florida ordered the release of other grand jury investigation material related to Epstein from 2005 and 2007. A similar request had been rejected months earlier.

In August, before the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed, Berman rejected the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury materials. He argued at the time that the government had not reached the necessary bar to release the documents and said "the Government has already undertaken a comprehensive investigation into the Epstein case and, not surprisingly, has assembled a ‘trove’ of Epstein documents, interviews and exhibits."

“The government’s 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials dwarf the 70 odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials,” the August ruling said.

Berman also said in August that a factor in his decision not to approve the government’s motion was “possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy.”

In his ruling Wednesday, though, Berman focused on the since-passed law and referenced a 2004 case that said when “the statute’s language is plain, the sole function of the courts — at least where the disposition required by the text is not absurd — is to enforce it according to its terms.”

In 2019, Epstein died by suicide in jail, where he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death has sparked conspiracy theories for year, including from some close allies of the president.

Congress passed a bill last month to make the Justice Department release documents related to Epstein. The final vote followed a months-long, high-profile push spearheaded by a group of bipartisan lawmakers.

The law said that the Epstein-related records must be released “not later than 30 days” after the law was enacted on Nov. 19

The administration’s handling of the Epstein case sparked rare fractures within the president’s base. In July, Trump disavowed supporters who pushed for the release of the files, calling them “weaklings.” Shortly before the legislation passed — once it became clear the bill had overwhelming support — the president reversed course and called for Republicans to vote for it.