WASHINGTON (Reuters)

A South Florida federal judge on Wednesday (July 23) denied a Justice Department request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the first ruling in a series of attempts by the Donald Trump’s administration to release more information on the case.

The request stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents. The US Department of Justice has pending requests to unseal transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to later indictments brought against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

US District Judge Robin Rosenberg found that the Justice Department’s request in Florida did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret.

The Justice Department concluded in early July that there was not a basis to continue the Epstein probe, triggering a backlash among Trump’s political base.

The grand jury transcripts in Florida related to the first federal sex trafficking probe of Epstein, which was run by the US attorney’s office in Miami.

Prosecutors agreed in 2007 not to bring federal charges against Epstein in exchange for him agreeing to plead guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution. He served 13 months in prison.