Justice Department tells the court it has complied with the Epstein files law on foreign-language documents
United States Department of JusticeU.S. Department of Justice, in a brief filed for Attorney General Todd Blanche
In a motion for judgment on the pleadings, the department argues that the law says nothing specific about foreign-language documents and gives the attorney general discretion to redact and withhold, so it has complied.
Responding to
The Epstein Files Transparency Act does not require the Justice Department to review and produce foreign-language documents, and Phang has no standing or right of action to enforce the law.
“As such, Defendant has complied with the EFTA's requirements regarding foreign language documents because the law is silent on the issue documents and vests the Attorney General with discretion in redacting and withholding documents.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Katie Phang sues Todd Blanche over the Epstein files; courts order the Justice Department to start reviewing foreign-language records, and DOJ says she cannot sue
Journalist and lawyer Katie Phang says the Justice Department has not complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered the department to begin reviewing foreign-language records it had set aside, and the D.C. Circuit refused to pause that order on Oct. 28, 2026. The department says the law does not require that review and that Phang has no right to sue.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
The department's brief asking Sullivan to enter judgment for Blanche. It argues that the law gives Phang no private right of action, that she lacks standing because her suit advances a generalized grievance, and that the law does not require production of foreign-language documents.
Before the quotation
The brief says the law contains no specific commands on reviewing and producing foreign-language documents, that producing them would require immense department resources, and that the department told Congress such production was not practicable. It argues that because Congress has taken no further action on these documents, Congress appears to consider the department's obligations fulfilled.
After the quotation
The brief then asks the court to enter judgment for the defendant on the relevant claims. In an earlier section, it argues that Phang lacks standing because her suit advances a generalized grievance that the government is not complying with the law.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including its decision not to review foreign-language records, as challenged in Phang's lawsuit. The filing defends the department's decision not to review and produce those records, saying it complied with the law.
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- People and groups discussed
- Katie Phang
More from this case
Read the full caseNorm Eisen rejects the Justice Department's 'generalized grievance' argument against Phang's suit: 'Release the files!'
“Katie's job is to share things with the public, that's the opposite of a generalized grievance Release the files!”Read statement
Katie Phang asks why the Justice Department is taking part in 'an active concealment and cover-up' of Epstein records
“Why is the Trump Department of Justice participating in an active concealment and cover-up?”Read statement
Joyce Vance says the government refused to provide Epstein material the transparency law called for
“It's material that the Act clearly called for production of and that the government simply refused to provide, without offering reasons that justified withholding it under the terms of the Act.”Read statement
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- Justice Department tells the court it has complied with the Epstein files law on foreign-language documents
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The Dispute Index. "Justice Department tells the court it has complied with the Epstein files law on foreign-language documents". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/8043-in-a-motion-for-judgment-on-the-pleadings