A federal judge in Washington heard arguments for more than two hours Monday over whether a fuller version of Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia investigation should be released, as the U.S. Justice Department pressed for continued secrecy around what the government considered to be particularly sensitive portions of the 448-page document.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton of the District of Columbia appeared skeptical at times of the Justice Department’s arguments against unveiling portions of the blacked-out sections of Mueller’s report, suggesting that additional transparency could shed light on how the special counsel’s office decided to bring or forgo prosecutions.

Walton expressed concern that secrecy around prosecutorial decisions “undermines even further” the public’s trust in the criminal justice system.

Addressing wider concerns about the fairness of the justice system, Walton invoked Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier whose lenient plea deal in the face of sexual misconduct allegations has raised questions about whether he received preferential treatment from prosecutors. Walton noted that there are “questions about the judgment used in that case.”

The arguments came in merged public records lawsuits brought by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and BuzzFeed News.

Justice Department attorney Courtney Enlow argued that the government had properly withheld portions of the Mueller report, which she described as being “lightly and surgically redacted.”

Enlow spoke of the “stigma” and “reputational” harm that can come with being associated with a criminal investigation. The privacy exemption, she argued, is intended to keep people from being “tried in a court of public opinion rather than a court of law.”

Matt Topic, a lawyer at Loevy & Loevy representing BuzzFeed News, said the publicly released version of the Mueller report left unanswered a number of questions, such as whether or how the special counsel’s office considered prosecuting members of President Donald Trump’s family and others in the president’s orbit.

“There are big gaps,” Topic said, naming the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., as one individual of interest. Topic said the Mueller investigation “ripped” the country apart and continues to be a source of broad public interest.

Lawyers for BuzzFeed and the Electronic Privacy Information Center have asked Walton to conduct his own review, in chambers and outside of public eyes, to independently review the government’s redactions.

Monday’s hearing came as House Democrats pursue a separate court bid try to extract more detail, including grand jury material, from the Mueller report. U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Monday that the panel could move to impeach Trump by the end of the year.

Robert Mueller Robert Mueller, former special counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice, testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., U.S., on July 24.

Last month, Mueller testified about his report during an appearance in front of the House judiciary and intelligence committees. He did not veer beyond the findings of the report to say anything about why or how his team arrived at their conclusions regarding which individuals to charge.

Mueller’s team concluded there was not enough evidence to prove a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia’s meddling in the election. And the special counsel, citing long-standing Justice Department policy, declined to state whether or not he thought Trump committed a crime when he took reported efforts to derail the two-year investigation.