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The US Justice Department has renewed its efforts to obtain access to federal jury documents from the inquiry into the late financier, which culminated in his sex-trafficking charges in 2019.

Congressional Decision Prompts Renewed Court Effort

The latest motion, authored by the federal prosecutor for the southern district, asserts that legislators made it apparent when approving the publication of investigative materials that these judicial documents should be made public.

"The congressional action overrode existing law in a manner that enables the disclosure of the federal jury documents," noted the government lawyers.

Deadline Considerations

The filing requested the district court to act promptly in releasing the materials, pointing to the 30-day window set after the legislation was approved last week.

Previous Motion Met Rejection

However, this latest initiative comes after a prior request from the Trump administration was denied by the presiding judge, who referenced a "significant and compelling reason" for keeping the documents sealed.

In his recent judgment, Berman noted that the limited documentation of grand jury transcripts and exhibits, including a digital presentation, phone records, and written communications from survivors and their lawyers, pale in comparison to the federal comprehensive collection of Epstein-related files.

"The authorities' hundred thousand pages of case documents overshadow the approximately seventy pages," stated the magistrate in his decision, adding that the petition appeared to be a "diversion" from releasing documents already in the prosecution's control.

Substance of the Federal Jury Materials

The confidential documents primarily consist of the account of an federal investigator, who served as the lone witness in the grand jury proceedings and reportedly had "limited personal awareness of the investigative specifics" with testimony that was "primarily secondhand."

Safety Concerns

Judge Berman identified the "conceivable risks to victims' safety and personal information" as the convincing justification for maintaining the materials under seal.

Similar Legal Matter

A similar request to make public grand jury testimony involving the prosecution of his accomplice was also denied, with the presiding judge noting that the government's request incorrectly suggested the sealed records contained an "undiscovered wealth of hidden facts" about the proceedings.

Recent Developments

The latest petition comes following closely the assignment of a new prosecutor to examine the financier's connections with well-known politicians and a few months after the dismissal of one of the lead prosecutors working on the proceedings.

When asked about how the ongoing investigation might impact the release of case materials in government possession, the top legal official responded: "We're not going to say on that because it is now a ongoing inquiry in the New York district."