The U.S. Department of Justice has officially declined New Mexico's request for unredacted records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing federal law and court-ordered privacy protections. The denial escalates a standoff between state prosecutors and the Trump administration over documents that could shed light on alleged crimes at Epstein's sprawling Zorro Ranch. Main Developments In a social media post Wednesday, the Justice Department stated it cannot release millions of unredacted documents because doing so would break federal law. “Federal law, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses do not allow us to release millions of unredacted documents,” the department wrote. The response directly addressed a letter from New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat, who accused the administration of President Donald Trump of obstructing his state's investigation. Torrez's letter, made public last week, claimed the Justice Department had made a “deliberate choice not to cooperate” by withholding critical records. Read also: Iran declares peace deal void amid ‘existential war’ with US The Justice Department pushed back, arguing that Torrez's request exceeded its authority. “We will continue to follow federal law and the court orders that are in place,” the department said. “To capitulate to their demands would be to break federal law. Is that what the [New Mexico attorney general] is suggesting?” Background New Mexico reopened its investigation into Epstein's activities in February 2026, after the second Trump administration released millions of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That legislation, passed in November 2025, required the Justice Department to publish Epstein-related records within 30 days, with limited redactions to protect victims. Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody, is accused of directing a sex-trafficking ring with hundreds of victims. During Trump's first term, federal prosecutors asked New Mexico to suspend its own investigation to allow their case to proceed. Epstein's death halted that federal case. State officials are examining allegations that women and girls were trafficked to Epstein's Zorro Ranch, a property he owned south of Santa Fe from 1993 until his death. Documents released in January included an unverified tip about videos of sexual abuse and the alleged burial of two foreign girls on the ranch. Survivors, including the late Virginia Giuffre, have made allegations about sexual assault at the property that state officials say were never fully investigated. Torrez's office has spent more than five months seeking unredacted federal records it says are critical to its probe. In his letter, Torrez warned that the delay is harming the investigation: “Every day the USDOJ withholds these records, the case that could be brought on behalf of New Mexico survivors becomes more difficult to make. Witnesses relocate and become unreachable, memories already strained by years of trauma and silence continue to fade, physical and documentary evidence degrades or is lost.” Why It Matters The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over transparency in the Epstein case. Critics say the Trump administration has failed to deliver on promises to fully disclose Epstein-related files, with some speculating that officials may be shielding powerful figures named in the documents. Trump himself was part of Epstein's social circle, though he has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Millions of files were eventually released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but many arrived with heavy redactions, while the identities of some victims were inadvertently exposed. The standoff in New Mexico underscores the difficulty of balancing victim privacy with the public's right to know and prosecutors' need for unredacted evidence. What's Next New Mexico's investigation continues, but Torrez has signaled that the Justice Department's refusal to cooperate could stall progress. The state may pursue legal action to compel the release of documents, though any such effort would face significant legal hurdles given the cited federal laws and court orders. The Trump administration continues to face questions about whether it fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. No timeline has been set for any further document releases, and the Justice Department has given no indication it will revisit New Mexico's request.