India, March 31 -- What was promised as the most consequential transparency exercise in modern American legal history has instead spiraled into a crisis of legitimacy.

The release of the Epstein Files, a vast archive tied to Jeffrey Epstein's global trafficking network, was expected to expose powerful perpetrators and deliver long-awaited accountability. Instead, it has done something far more disturbing: it has exposed victims while shielding powerful figures, as detailed in reporting by Vanity Fair's investigation into the redaction failures.

Rather than closing a dark chapter, the document release has opened a new one, defined by outrage, lawsuits, and deepening distrust in the institutions tasked with delivering justice.

A Transpa...