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.

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[–] 161 points 4 months ago (12 children)

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.

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  • [–] 59 points 4 months ago (11 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 16 points 4 months ago*

    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.

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  • [–] 37 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    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?

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  • [–] 14 points 4 months ago (6 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 18 points 4 months ago* (4 children)

    The federal marshalls are under the judiciary and are their enforcement arm.

    The United States Marshals Service occupies a uniquely central position in the federal justice system. It is the enforcement arm of the federal courts and is involved in virtually every federal law enforcement initiative.

    https://www.usmarshals.gov/what-we-do

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 11 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 19 points 4 months ago

    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

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  • [–] 38 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)
    [–] 18 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    That "explain why you can't" bit is what's going to let them drag this out another year.

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  • [–] 17 points 4 months ago

    I mean, this was already what they had to do. This is just reiterating it. What’s needed is consequences

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  • [–] 14 points 4 months ago

    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.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 months ago

    ABC source for those who don't want to click Newsweek.

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  • [–] 14 points 4 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 7 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    Because they destroyed them?

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  • [–] 7 points 4 months ago

    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?

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  • [–] 9 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    We Americans need to start doing some enforcing, even if we're not authorized. 😈

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Because if they did we would realize America isn't what we are told it is.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago

    @MicroWave 5th amendment?

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago

    The end is nigh...

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