Judge denies US justice department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts

A poster showing Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (John Minchillo/AP)

A judge who presided over the sex trafficking case against financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the US government’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts.

The ruling on Wednesday by Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, also turned down the government’s request.