New Mexico sues US Justice Department over blocked Epstein files at Zorro Ranch

• The left-rated outlets led on New Mexico’s lawsuit against the US Department of Justice and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for blocking access to files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. All 12 reports stated the state filed the suit to force the release of materials for its criminal investigation into Epstein’s alleged sex crimes. The Associated Press report, carried by 11 outlets, included the claim that federal obstruction was harming victims and undermining public interest.
• The reports named New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez as the plaintiff and quoted his statements that the Justice Department had stonewalled or obstructed the probe. Ten of the digests mentioned Torrez’s accusation that the DOJ ignored or denied 10 separate requests for information. The Associated Press report added that Torrez said Blanche could grant access but chose to conceal evidence.
• Eleven of the digests noted the lawsuit coincided with New Mexico’s release of a preliminary report on its Epstein investigation. The Associated Press report specified that Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking, with witness testimony linking abuse to the New Mexico ranch. None of the digests mentioned the sale of the ranch to a Texas Republican family or its renaming.

• The eleven centre-rated digests and one full report focused on the legal basis of New Mexico’s lawsuit. KVIA, the only centre-rated outlet to publish a full report, detailed the lawsuit’s demands: a declaration that the DOJ’s refusal is unlawful, an order to provide unredacted files, and recognition that the DOJ’s actions interfere with New Mexico’s police powers. Forbes’s digest led with the state’s claim that the DOJ was "withholding" files needed to investigate allegations at Zorro Ranch.
• KOAT’s digest framed the lawsuit as directed at the "Trump administration," a detail also noted by The Independent. KOB 4’s digest described the blocked files as hurting New Mexico’s "renewed criminal investigation." KTVQ’s digest, citing Scripps News, mentioned the lawsuit was 40 pages long and sought documents related to Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Zorro Ranch.

No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.