US judge Alvin Hellerstein, who handled Maduro trial and Trump’s hush money case, dies at 92
US federal judge Alvin K Hellerstein, who presided over cases involving Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump’s hush money case and the September 11 terror attacks.Hellerstein died on Wednesday morning surrounded by his family, Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain said in a statement. He had served on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York since 1998 and continued hearing cases until his death.Swain described him as a “distinguished jurist”, praising his “energetic and dedicated service” to the court. “He is greatly appreciated and will be sorely missed,” she said, as quoted by AP.Hellerstein had continued to preside over Maduro’s case despite questions about his age and health. Just two weeks before his death, he oversaw the arraignment of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on additional torture charges linked to their ongoing narco-terrorism conspiracy case.Maduro and Flores were captured during a US military raid in Caracas in January. When Maduro twice declined to enter a plea, Hellerstein directed that one be recorded on his behalf. “A plea of not guilty will be entered on behalf of Mr. Maduro,” he said.The judge had scheduled the trial for next June. Analisa Torres, a federal judge who previously served on the Manhattan state bench, will take over the case. She was also part of an international monitoring delegation for Venezuela’s 2006 presidential election, won by Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chávez.Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said, “We were saddened to learn of Judge Hellerstein’s passing and offer our condolences to his family.”
Key cases handled by Hellerstein
Hellerstein’s nearly three decades on the federal bench brought him into contact with some of the most consequential legal disputes in the United States, from the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to presidential immunity and international human rights cases.Trump’s hush money conviction: In one of his final significant rulings, Hellerstein rejected Trump’s attempt to move his New York hush money case to federal court and have the conviction dismissed on presidential immunity grounds. The case concerned a $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. “Paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity,” Hellerstein wrote in August.It was the third time he had rejected Trump’s efforts to move the case to federal court. The ruling left Trump’s conviction in place.September 11 lawsuits: Hellerstein oversaw civil litigation brought by victims and survivors of the September 11, 2001, attacks, including claims involving deaths, injuries and property damage. The cases continued for decades and became a defining part of his judicial career.In 2010, he had rejected a proposed settlement worth at least $575 million for thousands of people who had fallen ill after working amid toxic dust from the World Trade Center site. “This is different,” he said while explaining why he was intervening in the settlement process. “This is 9/11.”Lawyers said he spent hours meeting victims and their families and pushed back against settlement offers he considered inadequate.Trump and Michael Cohen: In 2020, Hellerstein ordered the release of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, from prison after the Justice Department revoked his home confinement. Cohen had argued that the move was intended to prevent him from publishing a book or speaking to the media. Hellerstein ruled that the government’s action was retaliatory and violated Cohen’s First Amendment rights.Sudan and BNP Paribas: In a 2025 civil case, Hellerstein presided over a trial in which a jury ordered French bank BNP Paribas to pay nearly $21 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs. The lawsuit alleged that the bank helped sustain the government of former Sudanese ruler Omar al-Bashir by providing access to the US financial system while atrocities were being committed.Abuse of detainees: In 2015, Hellerstein ordered the US government to release photographs documenting the abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, another ruling that placed government accountability under scrutiny.His docket also included the criminal trials of Charlie Javice, convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase, and hedge fund founder Bill Hwang, convicted in 2024 of securities and market manipulation fraud.
From military lawyer to federal judge
A New York native and Columbia Law School graduate, Hellerstein served in the US Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1957 to 1960 before entering private legal practice in Manhattan.Then-president Bill Clinton nominated him to the federal bench in 1998. He assumed senior status in 2011 but continued to handle a substantial caseload.His rulings sometimes challenged the government and powerful institutions, including the Trump administration. Hellerstein also blocked the administration in 2025 from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without court hearings.
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