Overview
- The New Mexico Department of Justice filed a 40‑page federal complaint in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday asking a judge to order the U.S. DOJ and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to produce unredacted Epstein records.
- The suit says the DOJ has 'stonewalled' state investigators and asks the court to declare the refusal unlawful, compel disclosure or require the agency to reprocess New Mexico’s request under Touhy rules that govern agency releases.
- The DOJ says it has supplied some material but cannot provide other documents because of protective court orders, victim‑privacy laws and limits in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and it has called the state’s request overly broad.
- New Mexico officials say the federal government promised to share records after a 2019 stand‑down, that delays and heavy redactions are blocking the reopened state probe, and that no state charges have been filed because investigators still need the files.
- The case could determine whether states can access sensitive federal investigative files, affect survivors’ privacy and the odds of prosecuting alleged associates tied to Zorro Ranch, and may set legal precedent about when agencies must disclose sealed material.