Alan Dershowitz said Thursday evening that two federal judges in New York are keeping key court records surrounding the disgraced and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein under seal to “protect certain people” named in litigation related to his sex trafficking operation.
“There are judges who are protecting people. I know that for a fact,” Dershowitz told the Washington Examiner in an exclusive interview. He claimed two judges were involved.
“There are judges who have sealed material that should not be sealed. Right now, everything should come out,” the former Harvard Law professor said. The Washington Examiner confirmed that in at least two federal cases relating to the disgraced financier and his former girlfriend and primary associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, judges have numerous filings still under seal.
While Dershowitz declined to name the judges or specify which cases are at issue, federal court records show several Epstein-related matters in the Southern District of New York remain partially sealed. These include United States v. Jeffrey Epstein, the 2019 criminal case dismissed following Epstein’s death in August that year, and Giuffre v. Maxwell, a defamation suit against his primary associate.
In the defamation case against Maxwell, Senior U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska has overseen a slow-rolling release of documents while keeping others under seal to protect third parties. For the Epstein criminal case, overseen by Judge Richard M. Berman, grand jury materials and victim-related filings have never been made public.
Dershowitz, 86, has long denied accusations linking him to Epstein’s abuse network and has advocated full transparency in the case. He was previously named in a defamation lawsuit brought by the late Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most vocal accusers, who claimed she was sexually assaulted by him when she was still a minor.
Dershowitz countersued against her, and the case was settled confidentially in 2022, resulting in Giuffre withdrawing her allegations. She died earlier this year at the age of 41, and her family said it was a death by suicide.
Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after a jury found her guilty of aiding Epstein’s abuse of minors. She is still appealing that decision.
The Trump administration vowed earlier this year to release documents tied to Epstein’s network, but Dershowitz’s comments this week highlighted that certain records are out of its control. A two-page memo released this week by the Justice Department, which summarized past investigative steps and denied the existence of a so-called “client list,” sparked outrage among Trump allies who had demanded transparency. The memo accompanied the release of 10 hours of prison footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was housed on the day of his death, Aug. 10, 2019 — an effort the DOJ made to prove its claims that his death was a result of suicide, rather than foul play.
Dershowitz suggested the blame lies with the judiciary and not the Justice Department or Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has faced the brunt of the backlash since the memo’s release.
“I think it’s the judges who are doing it, not the attorney general,” he said. “It’s selective sealing and selective censorship.”
But the memo has sparked frustration and backlash across the political spectrum, with critics accusing the administration of backpedaling on its promise of full transparency. Dershowitz, among others, said far more remains hidden and that some of the blame must fall on the judges who have overseen these cases.
Following the release of the short DOJ memo, Trump appeared earlier this week to downplay the controversy when asked by a reporter about Epstein during a press gaggle, which some supporters have described as a 180-degree turn from his base’s priorities and concerns.
“Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable,” Trump said Tuesday.
Trump to a reporter: “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? We have Texas, this, all of the things… are people still talking about this creep? That is UNBELIEVABLE! I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein.”
Well, Mr. President, we were promised disclosure… pic.twitter.com/768VbIpv4c
— George (@BehizyTweets) July 8, 2025
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the Washington Examiner that Dershowitz’s concern about excessive secrecy carries at least some weight.
“There are definitely way too many sealings in the Jeffrey Epstein cases, particularly the civil cases,” said Rahmani, a former student of Dershowitz. “Sealing really should be the exception rather than the rule. … I’m surprised that different outlets are not aggressively trying to get them unsealed.”
Rahmani also said that even if a so-called “client list” does exist, it likely couldn’t be used in court without a cooperating witness such as Maxwell. “That list would just be hearsay,” he said.
Rahmani expressed surprise about the Justice Department’s assertion in the memo that there may be more than 1,000 Epstein victims. “That’s very strange,” Rahmani said. “There were lawsuits and a victim fund. You would have thought that someone would come forward, someone would have told someone. But obviously, victims handle their abuse differently.” Notably, court filings have suggested there were dozens of victims of Epstein.
Still, some lawyers are convinced that the Trump administration is holding out. Victims’ attorney Sigrid McCawley, speaking on NewsNation this week, said the government is withholding a “treasure trove” of records that could implicate co-conspirators. “Epstein could not have run this operation without the help of many people,” she said. “None of those people have been prosecuted.”
Additionally, Bondi’s claims since becoming attorney general have only deepened misunderstandings and questions about her handling of the information rollout. Earlier this year, she claimed there were 200 to 250 victims of Epstein, although the department she oversees now claims that number exceeds 1,000.
FLIP-FLOP: JUSTICE SEARCH FOR EPSTEIN FILES IS STILL ‘ONGOING’
She was also caught in a secret recording earlier this year, claiming there were “tens of thousands” of hours of illicit video material from the disgraced financier, a large amount of data that was not previously made known in public court filings.
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. The Washington Examiner contacted representatives for Preska and Berman.