New Mexico sues Justice Department over alleged obstruction of Epstein investigation

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued the U.S. Justice Department and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in federal court on Aug. 5, 2026, alleging that the department blocked or delayed the state’s criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and related matters.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., creates a direct court test over how federal officials handle investigative records and cooperate with a state probe. It also places the dispute in the broader context of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, under which the Justice Department began releasing investigative records in December.

The lawsuit will require a federal court to evaluate New Mexico’s allegations and the Justice Department’s position. The court may also have to consider how the specific records request, jurisdiction and procedural posture affect the state’s claims. Recent federal-court records-access litigation shows that those details can determine how a claim proceeds.