Judge Orders DOJ to Fast-Track Epstein Files Mentioning Trump and Mar-a-Lago

A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to fast-track requests for Jeffrey Epstein investigative records that mention President Donald Trump or Mar-a-Lago, along with communications showing how senior DOJ and FBI officials handled the files.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the ruling on September 30, 2026, finding that the requests involve widespread public and media interest and possible questions about government integrity. The order gives Democracy Defenders Fund faster processing of most of the records it requested from the Justice Department.

The case stems from Freedom of Information Act requests the group submitted in July 2025 seeking investigative materials from federal cases involving Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that mention Trump or Mar-a-Lago, as well as internal communications about how senior Justice Department and FBI officials handled the files.

Those requests included communications involving Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, then Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, FBI Director Kash Patel, and then FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

Democracy Defenders Fund sued after the Justice Department declined to grant the expedited treatment it requested.

Kollar-Kotelly found that the requests qualified for faster processing under a Justice Department rule covering matters that have generated exceptional media interest and raise possible concerns about government integrity. DOJ's own FOIA rules require expedited handling when both conditions are met.

The judge granted expedited treatment for the group's July 22, 2025, request to the Justice Department's Criminal Division and for most of the July 28 requests directed to the Criminal Division and the offices of the attorney general and deputy attorney general.

She narrowed two portions that sought records involving any Justice Department official, limiting priority treatment to the senior officials specifically named in the requests. Kollar-Kotelly also rejected the group's separate argument that it qualified under FOIA's "compelling need" provision.

The order changes how DOJ must handle the requests by requiring the department to give priority treatment to the entire July 22 request and most of the July 28 requests rather than processing them on its ordinary timetable. DOJ can still review responsive records for redactions or withholding allowed under FOIA.

The ruling comes as the Justice Department continues releasing Epstein-related records through its online Epstein Library. The group's requests, however, target specific investigative files and internal communications that fall outside the broader categories of material already released.

DOJ must now prioritize the covered searches and process the records under the court's order. Any disputes over what the department finds, redacts, or withholds could return to federal court.