Federal judge rules lawmakers can sue to enforce Epstein files transparency

On January 24, 2026, a U.S. federal judge in New York ruled that congressional cosponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act may file a lawsuit to seek a court-appointed observer to ensure compliance with the law requiring the Justice Department to release investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but the lawmakers cannot pursue the request as part of Maxwell’s criminal case. The judge held that representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lacked standing to intervene directly in the criminal proceedings, suggesting they could instead use legislative tools or separate litigation to secure compliance. The law was signed in November 2025 and mandates public disclosure of the records.