Ghislaine Maxwell fights release of more Epstein documents, calling disclosure law unconstitutional

"Maxwell's attorneys said the Justice Department obtained the documents otherwise subject to secrecy orders improperly during its criminal probe of Maxwell. They said the documents include transcripts of over 30 depositions and private information regarding financial and sexual matters related to Maxwell and others. Some records from the year-long exchange of evidence in the lawsuit battle were already released publicly in response to a federal appeals court order."

"Lawyers for imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are fighting the requested release of 90,000 pages related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell, saying a law used to force the public release of millions of documents is unconstitutional. The lawyers filed papers late Friday in Manhattan federal court to try to block the release of documents from a since-settled civil defamation lawsuit brought a decade ago by the late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell."

"Congress cannot, by statute, strip this Court of the power or relieve it of the responsibility to protect its files from misuse. To do so violates the separation of powers, wrote the lawyers, Laura Menninger and Jeffrey Pagliuca about the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Under the Constitution's separation of powers, neither Congress nor the Executive Branch may intrude on the judicial power."

Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell filed papers in Manhattan federal court seeking to block release of about 90,000 pages tied to Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell from a settled civil defamation suit brought by Virginia Giuffre. The Justice Department asked a judge to lift secrecy requirements on the files. Maxwell's attorneys contend the Justice Department improperly obtained the documents during its criminal probe and that the records include transcripts of more than 30 depositions and private financial and sexual information. Some records were already released after a federal appeals court order. Maxwell's lawyers argue the Epstein Files Transparency Act violates the Constitution's separation of powers by undermining judicial authority to protect court files.

Read at www.mercurynews.com