A federal judge has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to either unredact and release more records related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or provide a detailed explanation for why the redactions remain necessary.
The order comes amid heightened scrutiny over the U.S. government's handling of millions of pages of investigative files related to the disgraced financier who was found dead in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his sex-trafficking trial.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's order issued Thursday directs acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to justify the department's continued withholding of portions of the records after lawmakers and victims' advocates questioned whether some redactions exceed what is legally permitted.
32 Comments
foggy@lemmy.world · 166 pts · 61d
I'm so fucking sick of this. Exercise your authority. Enough with the kid gloves.
Hold people in jail cells until they comply with the laws for which they are clearly not in compliance. That's what would happen to you or me. Hold them in contempt.
brandon@piefed.social · 58 pts · 61d
The reason these judges won't do that is because they know that the authority they wield is only possible with the cooperation of the executive. They don't want to shatter the illusion that they are a co-equal branch because they fear that once that cat is out of the bag they won't be able to coax it back in.
Jhex@lemmy.world · 37 pts · 61d
How is that any different to what is happening now? Is anyone left in the world dumb enough not to see that is exactly what is happening? is anybody out there so stupid they still think there is a functioning government in the USA?
Klear@piefed.world · 14 pts · 61d
The answer is always yes no matter the context.
Jhex@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 61d
sadly yes
Jaysyn@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 61d
They can hold them in civil contempt & fine them (as in the individual lawyers & officials) an escalating amount each day.
There is also inherent contempt which Congress fucking refuses to use for some reason.
Pedo Trump can't do an thing about either of these forms of contempt.
turtlesareneat@piefed.ca · 14 pts · 61d
Yep. Judge orders someone in contempt, POTUS tells the enforcers to ignore the contempt order, oops all is broken.
I'm not sure what the fix would have been, but having a judicial LEO would have been a good start. Like the Federal Marshalls but scarier because they're all in black robes.
stringere@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 61d
The federal marshalls are under the judiciary and are their enforcement arm.
https://www.usmarshals.gov/what-we-do
brandon@piefed.social · 2 pts · 61d
Ostensibly yes, but what do you actually expect to happen if a judge orders the marshalls to take leadership at the DoJ into custody? The mission of the Marshall service may be to provide enforcement to the Judiciary, but they are part of the DoJ and the executive.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 61d
They could try. Are you seeing the repubs not doing things because "they wont work"? Do it anyway, cause a problem, muck up the works.
stringere@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 61d
Turnabout is fair play. Break norms and force their hand.
brandon@piefed.social · -1 pts · 61d
I agree that they could, and should, try. I just think that the reason they don't is because they know that it would be unsuccessful.
ThePantser@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 61d
ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml · 39 pts · 61d
shittydwarf@piefed.ca · 19 pts · 61d
Everybody still pretending its not full of the POTUS raping kids, and they'll be just SHOCKED when it eventually comes out after his death
ceenote@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 61d
That "explain why you can't" bit is what's going to let them drag this out another year.
jaybone@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 61d
Or they just won’t do anything, because no one has to listen to judges anymore when daddy Trump says.
SaraTonin@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 61d
I mean, this was already what they had to do. This is just reiterating it. What’s needed is consequences
comeonitsnotlike@feddit.nu · 15 pts · 61d
Too much money and power is on line for the ruling class, be it republicans or democrats, to ever release all the files, whatever the law says (law isn't a thing for those with money and power in US). And the ruling class know that The People will never oppose in a meaningful way, a way that will shift the load of command over to the people. No one outside of the ruling class will ever see the full, unredacted trump/epstein files.
artyom@piefed.social · 14 pts · 61d
DOJ: no.
zergtoshi@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 61d
Consequences: none.
Bluedragon012@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 61d
We Americans need to start doing some enforcing, even if we're not authorized. 😈
deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 60d
One could probably argue that the second amendment authorizes you.
Zombiepirate@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 61d
ABC source for those who don't want to click Newsweek.
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 61d
Ruh-roh!
I thought with all of Donvict's stupid vanity projects and losing to Iran, we were just supposed to forget all about the pedo-protection program that Donvict's DOJ is running?
Whoops?
triptrapper@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 61d
Because they destroyed them?
Widdershins@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 61d
I saw a news article about how they managed to read a scroll from Pompeii that is basically fossilized. They can fish paper out of a mar a lardo sewer pipe and wash off the digested mcdonald's.
IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 61d
Because if they did we would realize America isn't what we are told it is.
zigmus64@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 61d
C’mon… the cat was let out of that bag a while ago now…
IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 61d
Yet we all still give our lives to it like pimped woman with drug addictions.
Sassinake@mastodon.social · 1 pts · 60d
@MicroWave 5th amendment?
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 61d
The end is nigh...