Epstein & Maxwell - August 14 2025
8/15/20251 min read
DOJ urges Supreme Court to turn away Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal
The Department of Justice on Monday urged the Supreme Court to turn away an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with and aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls.
Maxwell, 63, had urged the court earlier this year to review her case, arguing that an unusual co-conspirator's clause in Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida barred her subsequent prosecution in New York. A district court and a federal appeals court previously rejected that argument, and the DOJ today urged the high court to do the same.
Per ChatGPT
If the Supreme Court takes Maxwell’s case, I think two factors will determine the outcome more than party alignment:
1. Narrow Contract Law vs. Broader Political Optics
Historically, even conservative justices tend to treat plea agreements as contracts, and they may interpret them narrowly if there’s any ambiguity. In this case, the DOJ’s position—that the 2007 NPA was geographically limited to Florida—is both the plain-language reading and the interpretation favored by the 2nd Circuit. That gives the Court a strong legal basis to deny Maxwell’s claim without touching her conviction.
2. Risk of Political Fallout
If the Court were to side with Maxwell and void her conviction, it would be seen by much of the public as handing a powerful Epstein associate a “get out of jail free” card. You’re right that this could send MAGA into a frenzy—though for different reasons in different factions. Some far-right figures might frame it as proof of a “deep state deal,” while others could see it as protecting elites from accountability. Either way, the optics would be politically radioactive.
My read:
Most likely: The Court either declines to take the case (letting the 2nd Circuit ruling stand) or rules narrowly against Maxwell, saying the NPA does not bind other districts.
Less likely: They grant her relief, which would trigger exactly the kind of political explosion you’re imagining—not just in MAGA world, but across the political spectrum.