Supreme Court Lets Maxwell Conviction Stand

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal on Oct. 6, leaving her 2021 conviction and 20-year sentence for sex‑trafficking minors intact. Maxwell had argued that Jeffrey Epstein’s 2007 non‑prosecution agreement and its co‑conspirator clause barred her prosecution, but the high court refused review after the Trump administration urged it not to intervene, preserving lower‑court findings. Her lawyer David Oscar Markus said they were "deeply disappointed" and will continue to pursue legal avenues; Maxwell has sought clemency, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this year, and was moved to a minimum‑security facility (federal release date July 17, 2037). The decision comes amid congressional and public pressure for more Epstein‑related records following his 2019 death in custody. Separately, Robert Preston Morris, 64, founder of the Gateway Church and a former member of President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, pleaded guilty in Oklahoma to five counts of lewd and indecent acts against a child and resigned after allegations surfaced.