Even though federal courtrooms aren’t usually known for their flamboyance, Judge Richard Berman’s action on Wednesday was nothing short of spectacular. In a blunt ruling, the experienced judge warned the Donald Trump administration’s Department of Justice for its refusal to share any information about documents associated with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his convicted accomplice.
The DOJ’s refusal to release a mountain of evidence is at the heart of the dispute. Without holding back, Berman pointed out the glaring disparity: “The Government’s 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials dwarf the 70-odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials,” he wrote. He was referring to the department’s tactics, and the meaning was obvious — the DOJ keeps secrets while selectively disclosing.
The judge’s words stunned former Justice Department prosecutor Elie Honig, who pointed out how rare this type of decision was. “This is not just a vanilla rejection of emotion by the judge here; this is a rebuke aimed at DOJ (…) this is a diversion because what the judge says here is we’re talking about a tiny percentage of the file,” Honig said about the Donald Trump administration’s deception, as per a report.
Honig says that rather than revealing the truth, the ruling brings out a more serious problem: the Justice Department’s performance of transparency. Honig explained that the DOJ still has the power to make the vast majority of Epstein-related files accessible without waiting for court approval. She explained, “This is much more about the appearance of transparency than actual transparency.”
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Honig represented the DOJ’s approach as misleading. The department created a spectacle around just a tiny amount of the evidence by focusing on only a handful of grand jury materials, even though 99.3% of the records are still in its sole custody.
Unimpressed, Judge Berman disagreed with the department for wasting the court’s time.
This is not hearsay. This is a judge who has SEEN documents, Judge Berman, that is. And the judge is saying the Epstein Files are a nuclear bomb, essentially, compared to the bullet if the Grand Jury files. Still wonder why they don’t #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles ? https://t.co/0sk5iA1zN7
— Ale (@aliasvaughn) August 21, 2025
Honig concluded by saying, “This is all for show, and you haven’t made the showing,” which conveyed the idea that the DOJ’s demand to hide information is more about organizational self-preservation than complying with the law.
Berman’s decision is a public criticism with political teeth for the presidency of Donald Trump, not just a legal snag.
The judge’s claim that the government can be more open without legal interference directly challenges the DOJ. According to legal scholars, this could open the administration to dealing with sensitive materials and to more scrutiny of Epstein-related files.
Judge Berman agrees that effort by DOJ to unseal Epstein grand jury files is a “diversion” when DOJ could just release a trove of far more comprehensive documents without court involvement
Release the full Epstein Files. Nothing is stopping the DOJ from doing so.
Stop excuses.
— Kate – He Lies about everything. (@KatRav6) August 20, 2025
Simply put, the decision reveals that the judiciary is not willing to be forced into approving a government narrative. Berman’s takedown could affect how the public sees institutional accountability (or the lack thereof) in a case already cloaked in suspicion.
