Todd Blanche Argues For A Stay In The Katie Phang Epstein Related Lawsuit (Part 1) (9/23/26)

Todd Blanche’s reply argues that the court should partially stay its enforcement order while the Justice Department appeals, particularly as it relates to the review and production of foreign-language Epstein materials. The government contends that the court’s September enforcement order went beyond simply implementing the earlier injunction and instead imposed new obligations and deadlines that DOJ believes are immediately appealable. Blanche’s filing also pushes back on Katie Phang’s argument that the stay request came too late, maintaining that the government sought relief after the court imposed the new September compliance requirements and that it should not be forced to complete potentially burdensome review and production work while the legality of those requirements is being challenged on appeal.

The reply also disputes Phang’s claim that DOJ has simply been ignoring the court’s orders, arguing instead that the government has been litigating unresolved questions about the scope of the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the court’s authority to compel disclosure. Blanche’s attorneys contend that requiring immediate compliance could cause irreparable harm by forcing the government to undertake work that could later be found unnecessary if the appeal succeeds, while a temporary pause would preserve the status quo. In short, the government asks Judge Emmet Sullivan to suspend the disputed portion of the enforcement order long enough for the appellate court to consider DOJ’s arguments, while Phang maintains that the request is another attempt to delay production of records the government has already been ordered to review and release.



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source:

gov.uscourts.dcd.291779.48.0.pdf