Florida State Level
Palm Beach County judges handled the initial Florida proceedings. The plea deal, which was reached before trial, meant that judicial review was primarily of the deal’s terms rather than evidence at trial.
Judge Kenneth Marra
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra in the Southern District of Florida ruled in 2019 that the federal prosecutors had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) by failing to notify victims of the NPA. However, he did not void the agreement.
Southern District of New York
When Epstein was arrested in 2019, the case was filed in the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Bail hearings were heard by District Judge Richard Berman, who denied bail based on flight risk.
The Documents Cases
District Judge Loretta Preska in the SDNY handled the long-running litigation over whether sealed court documents from the Virginia Giuffre v. Epstein civil case should be unsealed. She ordered phased unsealing beginning in 2024, releasing hundreds of documents.
Judicial Oversight Failures
Critics have argued that the judiciary failed to exercise adequate independent scrutiny over the Epstein plea deal and the extraordinary conditions of his sentence.