When the Law Looks Away: The Epstein Files, Power, and Institutional Silence

By: Morgan Ann Malone 

Jeffrey Epstein (also apparently now known as the alias “Palm Beach Pete”) (yes, really – if you know, you know) was born January 20, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. Originally starting his career as a math professor, he eventually switched to the financial sector and became one of the most prominent financial advisors to some of the world's most well-known celebrities and elites – including, but definitely not limited to, presidents on both sides of the aisle such as Bill Clinton and Donald Trump; technological innovators and related venture capitalists such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk; as well as numerous musicians and actors. And then on August 10, 2019, after being arrested and convicted of sex trafficking and procuring a child for prostitution, Epstein was found dead in his cell, and the cause of death was ruled a suicide.  

   So, nobody believes that lie, obviously. But why are we still talking about Epstein almost six years later?  

   Well, because what should be a clear-cut case of sexual misconduct, exploitation, and trafficking has given way to the exposure of a large web of corruption. As comedian George Carlin once aptly quipped, “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.” None of us can even fathom the level of debauchery, corruption, and depravity that some of our biggest world leaders are engaged in, often at our expense. Epstein and his human trafficking of young girls were, unfortunately, just the tip of the iceberg.  

   There have long been allegations – some half-baked, others in earnest – of our world’s elite class of people being part of a large “cabal” in which some of the most influential people in the world all across the political spectrum work together in a secret globalist organization to undermine democracy, manipulate global historical events, and consolidate wealth to themselves while the rest of us “little people” starve and lock horns amongst ourselves like bulls, neglecting to see who the real enemy is. I remember my first exposure to such theories – playing Britney Spears’ songs backwards, intently analyzing the visuals in Beyoncé’s music videos to try to pick up on any Illuminati symbols embedded within, tallying the amount of “predictions” about major world events on The Simpsons that actually ended up happening. At the time, it seemed like nothing more than a fun – albeit a bit creepy – game to play. But what is going on now is much deeper than that, and the contents of the so-called “Epstein files” are the proof.  

   On November 19, 2025, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was officially signed into law, and some of the files were released in phases in the next month. In January 2026, three out of six million files were released, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Many of these files included disgusting messages detailing the pedophilic predation towards young children at the hands of some of the most powerful members of our society, as well as unsettling photographs and videos taken within Epstein’s home of children in compromising settings and positions with adults. What should have been an immediate call to action for those on all parts of the political spectrum to end this corruption once and for all has amounted to silence and deflection from virtually all prominent members of the United States political and legal system.  

   The files are found to contain information not relating just to gross, nefarious sexual misconduct, but other conspiracies about the validity and existence of prominent historical events, as well as the potential for human sacrifices for political advancement, societal gain, and ritualistic immortality (Anadolu Anjasi).  

   Many independent United Nations human rights experts have stated that the Epstein files suggest a “global criminal enterprise” which involves trafficking, sexual slavery, and extortion of women and girls, with patterns that may meet the threshold of crimes against humanity (UN News). The United Nations Officer Commissioner has stated that crimes against humanity occur “when acts such as sexual slavery, rape, enforced prostitution, trafficking, persecution, torture, or murder are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack” (UN News). As law students in the midst of our legal training, we are always being asked whether it’s reasonable to believe that a certain set of conduct validates certain legal principles – for example, a typical question I would ponder in my 1L criminal law class (shoutout to the incomparable Professor Falk!) would be, “would a reasonable person determine that someone containing the requisite intent to make harmful or offensive contact with another person guilty of battery?” As applied to the facts of the Epstein saga, a reasonable person would definitely determine that the conduct of Epstein and co. (as detailed within the files) constitutes a wide breadth of crimes against humanity, and you don’t have to be a tuition-paying apprentice of the law to come to that conclusion. The general population can’t seem to let the Epstein story die, and yet the global elites’ silence on the matter pales in comparison.  

   The revelations within the Epstein files will have harmful ramifications on the rule of law and the legal field for years to come. The monumental amount of corruption reinforces the harmful dichotomy within the legal system of a lack of accountability for perpetrators and the extreme exploitation of victims. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), 1 in 3 sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement, only 50 out of 1,000 reported rapes ever lead to an arrest, and less than 7% of reported rape or sexual assault cases ever result in a conviction (RAINN). The numbers are already grim on a general level, but the fact that the prominent figures within the files can buy, politick, and intimidate their way out of accountability is especially grim and disturbing.  

   Many of us law students entered the field of law specifically to fight for the underdog and combat corruption within the legal system. It is already a daunting task to tackle, especially within the realm of wrongful convictions or constitutional issues of fundamental rights, for example. But knowing that we live in a world in which, essentially, those who had a hand in building our legal and societal structures have enough money and power to never be held accountable within those structures makes our calling an especially daunting undertaking. What does it mean for our future careers as legal professionals if the system in which we live and will eventually practice not only allows such sweeping corruption but seemingly advocates in favor of it?