Judge orders prosecutors to explain frequent flashlight checks on Ghislaine Maxwell

The first image of Maxwell in jail shows her with bruising under her left eye.

A federal judge overseeing the criminal case of Ghislaine Maxwell on Thursday ordered the government to explain and justify the use of nightly flashlight checks of Maxwell's jail cell, which her lawyers contend are disrupting her sleep, harming her health and compromising her ability to prepare for trial. "Is Ms. Maxwell being subjected to flashlight surveillance every 15 minutes at night? Or any other atypical flashlight surveillance?" U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan asked prosecutors in a brief order Thursday. "If so, what is the basis for doing so?" Nathan's order came in response to a court filing from Maxwell's attorneys earlier Thursday, which included a photograph of Maxwell in jail with apparent bruising beneath her left eye. Defense attorney Bobbi C. Sternheim contends in a letter to the court that Maxwell has no mirror and was unaware of the bruising until she "caught a reflection of her aching eye" in a nail clipper.