r/PeopleBeingRidiculous

A federal judge warned Thursday that the Department of Justice could be held in contempt for repeatedly defying court orders to produce unredacted documents from the Epstein files, telling government lawyers the possibility of contempt proceedings was not a threat but a promise.

"I just don't want anyone to be blindsided if we have to go down that road," U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said during a public hearing. "It's not a threat. It's a promise. I have a job to administer justice, and I take that very seriously."

Sullivan held the hearing publicly rather than under seal, saying, "The public has a right to know what the he!l is going on in this case. The victims have a right to know. The public deserves to know."

The hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by journalist Katie Phang, who accuses Attorney General Todd Blanche of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding documents. The Justice Department has repeatedly delayed compliance with the judge's orders, and last week asked to freeze all deadlines in the case.