WASHINGTON — A federal court in New York has authorized the U.S. Justice Department to unseal grand jury records tied to the investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell, according to a court filing cited by Reuters.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued its decision after Congress passed a new law that enables broader disclosure of such materials, the filing said. The court also ruled that the department may revise a protective order first imposed in July 2020.

Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking. The newly permitted release of documents is expected to shed additional light on the grand jury proceedings linked to the broader Epstein investigation, though the timing of the disclosures was not immediately detailed in the filing.