New Mexico Sues DOJ Over Epstein Files, Accusing Agency of Stonewalling
New Mexico filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), accusing the federal agency of "stonewalling" the state's investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by refusing to provide unredacted files. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to compel acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to release the documents.
The legal action escalates a politically charged dispute between the Democratic-run state and the Trump administration over the DOJ's Epstein files, an issue that has drawn intense public scrutiny.
State Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat, said the withheld materials are essential to identifying victims, witnesses, and potential additional criminal conduct at Zorro Ranch, a property Epstein owned near Stanley, New Mexico. New Mexico reopened its Epstein investigation in February and formally requested the unredacted files, but Torrez has repeatedly expressed frustration over the lack of cooperation.
"We asked the Department of Justice to cooperate by providing access to records that may be critical to identifying victims, witnesses, and additional criminal conduct at Zorro Ranch," Torrez said in a press release. "Their delay is actively hurting our criminal investigation and delaying justice Epstein survivors deserve."
The lawsuit argues that "federal inaction does not merely stall the investigation; it prolongs and compounds the suffering of survivors." It requests the court to order the release of the files.
The DOJ, however, maintains that it has provided some files but is legally barred from disclosing other materials due to privacy protections. In a statement last month, the department questioned whether Torrez was suggesting it should break federal law. "To capitulate to their demands would be to break federal law. Is that what the [New Mexico Attorney General] is suggesting?" the statement said.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and related protective court orders, the DOJ argues it is neither required nor permitted to disclose victim-identifying information.
The case has been reignited by renewed public interest in Epstein, particularly after the DOJ released millions of pages of documents in January. Some of those records, however, were redacted, prompting criticism from lawmakers and advocates. New Mexico's lawsuit alleges that the redactions are without cause and impede its investigation.
Earlier this month, New Mexico legislators released an interim report from a state "Truth Commission" probing Epstein's activities, which identified dozens of potential victims. The report added pressure on state officials to obtain full federal cooperation.
The lawsuit is the latest chapter in a months-long feud between Torrez and the Trump administration. In early July, Torrez publicly released a letter he had sent to the DOJ in June, expressing frustration that despite "verbal assurances of cooperation," the federal government had failed to provide access to the relevant documents.