Justice Department tells courts it will complete Epstein files review 'in the near term'

The Justice Department told two New York judges Tuesday that it will finish its review of millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein in the "near term," and the documents will be released to the public with the necessary redactions.

The update comes after the Justice Department missed its initial deadline to release all the files by Dec. 19, 2025, which was mandated in a law that Congress passed in November. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton told the judges that they could not provide a specific date for the release, but the review involved hundreds of department attorneys and agents.

"The Department is not able to provide a specific date at this time and cautions that its ongoing processes, including its quality control checks and document management system preparations, may require additional efforts to ensure the protection of victim identifying information while complying with the broad demands of the Act," the four-page filing said.

The department has already released hundreds of thousands of Epstein files as part of the act, but it only represents a fraction of the department's records related to the late-sex offender.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.