He has ordered Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department until September 24 to provide the disputed records related to convicted sex offender Epstein, or explain why his orders were not “clear and unambiguous.”

“Defendant cites no authority for the proposition that administrative inconvenience excuses him from meeting his statutory obligation,” Sullivan wrote in his opinion. “Nor does he cite any authority for his apparent contention that Congressional silence in response to the January 30, 2026 letter functions as an implied amendment to the EFTA.”

Sullivan wrote that a civil contempt finding against Blanche at this stage “would be premature” as such an order requires the defendant to have violated a “clear and unambiguous” order. Therefore, he gave the attorney general until September 21 to seek clarification with the court if any of the order was unclear.