WASHINGTON − A U.S. judge in Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 10, allowed for the public release of records from a grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein because of a law recently passed by Congress, the latest in a string of similar rulings.

The order by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman came one day after another judge granted a similar request in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in prison for sex trafficking an underage girl with Epstein.

The rulings could lead to disclosure of materials that shed more light on Epstein's ties to rich and powerful people, including President Donald Trump.

Berman in August had denied a prior Justice Department request to unseal the grand jury materials, which are normally permanently sealed by law, citing "possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy." But the judge said in Wednesday's order that disclosure was now warranted because of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law last month.

Many Trump voters believe his administration has covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein's death was officially ruled a suicide.

Trump, who said he ended his friendship with Epstein long before the financier’s 2019 arrest, had opposed the release of the files but reversed course shortly before lawmakers voted on legislation.

The Justice Department asked Berman in a Nov. 24 motion to give it authority to release grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the investigation, and said it would make "appropriate redactions" of victim-related and other personal identifying information to the extent that's permitted under the new law.

Berman's Wednesday order granted the department's November request. He wrote that "victims' safety and privacy are paramount," and their protection is consistent with the new law.

The DOJ is facing a Dec. 19 deadline to release the "Epstein files" under the new law.

(This story has been updated with additional information.)

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge allows more Epstein grand jury material to be made public

Reporting by Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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