Full Breakdown
Attorney General Todd Blanche Seeks Stay on Foreign-Language Epstein Files Orders
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Legal Motion
Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit asking the court to pause two district-court orders that require the Justice Department to review and release foreign-language documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The motion, filed on a Tuesday, seeks a stay of the orders while the appeal proceeds.
Legal Background
The lawsuit was brought by lawyer-journalist Katie Phang, who argues that the Justice Department must comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which mandates the compilation, review, and public release of millions of Epstein-related documents while protecting victims and sensitive information. The district judge, Emmet Sullivan, issued an order on June 25 directing the Department to begin that work, and a second order on September 16 set a September 24 deadline for the Department to start the process and notify the court.
DOJ’s Arguments
In the filing, the Justice Department contends that Phang lacks standing because the EFTA does not create a private right of action; Congress omitted such a provision. The DOJ points to a proposed “EFTA II” bill that would expressly allow victims and certain officials to sue the attorney general, arguing that without that amendment the current lawsuit is improper. The filing further asserts that the district court’s orders amount to a final judgment at the preliminary injunction stage and that pausing the orders would cause only minimal harm to Phang while preserving the status quo for the appeal.
Timeline & Deadlines
- June 25 – Judge Sullivan orders DOJ to begin reviewing foreign-language Epstein files.
- September 16 – Judge Sullivan issues a second order establishing a September 24 deadline for the DOJ to start the review and report to the court.
- September 24 – Deadline set by the second order (temporarily paused pending the stay request).
Next Steps
The appeals court has consolidated the DOJ’s challenges to both orders and will consider the stay request in an upcoming hearing. A separate motion from a pseudonymous “Jane Doe” seeking to intervene in the district-court case remains pending before Judge Sullivan. The outcome will determine whether the Justice Department must proceed with the foreign-language document review while the appeal is resolved.
