The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, on the first day of their new term. Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, had argued that she should not have been convicted for her involvement in Epstein’s sexual abuse scandal. The court did not provide a reason for rejecting the appeal.
Maxwell’s lawyers contended that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement shielded her from federal charges, but she was found guilty of sex trafficking a teenage girl in Manhattan. Despite her conviction, Maxwell maintains her innocence, claiming she should never have been tried.
President Donald Trump’s administration had urged the Supreme Court to stay out of the case, which had drawn significant attention due to Epstein’s high-profile sex trafficking charges and subsequent death in a New York jail cell in 2019.
Amid conspiracy theories and calls for transparency, the Justice Department ultimately decided against further disclosure of investigative materials related to Epstein’s case, stating that much of the evidence was sealed to protect victims. Trump, facing criticism and accusations of promoting conspiracy theories, attempted to shift focus away from the controversy surrounding Epstein.