Judge Warns Todd Blanche He Could Face Civil Contempt Over Epstein Files

A federal judge has given Attorney General Todd Blanche until Sept. 24 to comply with orders over Jeffrey Epstein records, warning that he could face civil contempt if the Justice Department fails to meet the court’s demands.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued the warning Wednesday as he ordered Blanche to support disputed victim redactions, submit handwritten FBI interview notes for private court review and begin reviewing foreign-language Epstein records that could fall under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Sullivan said a contempt finding would be premature for now, but made clear that the option remains available. He gave Blanche until Sept. 21 to seek clarification if he considers the renewed order unclear, three days before the government’s compliance deadline.

The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by attorney and independent journalist Katie Phang, who claims the Justice Department violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding records, improperly redacting information and leaving some material outside its review.

Sullivan granted Phang a preliminary injunctionpreliminary injunctionA preliminary injunction is a temporary court order issued before a case is finally decided that requires a party to take or stop an action while the litigation continues. Federal courts generally consider the likelihood of success, irreparable harm, the balance of equities, and the public interest before granting one.Read more → in June and ordered the government to address several categories of Epstein records. The department has defended some redactions as necessary to protect victims and personal identifying information.

The latest order requires Blanche to provide documentation supporting the department’s assertion that three disputed redacted names belong to victims. Sullivan found the government had not provided enough information to resolve those redactions.

Handwritten FBI notes are also at the center of the fight. Sullivan ordered the Justice Department to submit redacted and unredacted copies of notes underlying four FBI interview reports, allowing the judge to compare the material privately before deciding how it should be treated.

The department argued that the handwritten notes were substantially similar to typewritten FBI reports that had already been released. Sullivan found that similarity to previously produced material did not provide a basis for withholding otherwise responsive records.

Foreign-language records remain another issue. The government previously said reviewing the material during its initial process was impractical because of the time and resources required.

Sullivan rejected that reasoning and ordered the Justice Department to begin reviewing and producing responsive foreign-language records. Blanche must notify the court by Sept. 24 that the process is underway.

The contempt warning raises the stakes surrounding that deadline. Civil contempt allows a federal judge to impose sanctions intended to force compliance with a court order. Sullivan said any finding would require a clear and unambiguous directive and convincing evidence that it had been violated.

Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025, requiring the attorney general to release Justice Department records related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, subject to limited exceptions. The Justice Department said in January that it had published nearly 3.5 million pages in response to the law.

Blanche is appealing Sullivan’s June preliminary injunction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Sullivan rejected the department’s request to pause the district court proceedings while that appeal moves forward.

A separate ruling Wednesday requires Blanche to answer Phang’s lawsuit by Sept. 24. The Justice Department must then file a certified list describing the administrative record by Oct. 1 and provide the record to Phang by Oct. 15.