Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Presided Over High-Profile Cases, Dies at 92
The longtime U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, who had been appointed by President Bill Clinton, died of natural causes.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who presided over significant legal proceedings including the case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and former President Donald Trump's bid to move his New York criminal case to federal court, died Tuesday. He was 92 and died of natural causes, according to the court.
Hellerstein was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton. He served as a federal judge for over two decades, hearing a wide range of cases.
In the case involving Maduro, Hellerstein had been overseeing charges of conspiracy to commit torture against Americans and others. The indictment alleged that Maduro's government utilized violence, arbitrary detention, and torture, including electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, and threats to victims' families, to maintain power and silence opposition. Hellerstein recently denied a request for home confinement for Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, who also faces charges related to cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of weapons.
A trial for Maduro and Flores is scheduled for June 2027. A new judge will be randomly assigned to the Maduro case following Hellerstein's death.
Hellerstein also presided over legal efforts by former President Donald Trump to move his state criminal case to federal court. These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
Born in New York City, Hellerstein earned his law degree from Columbia University. Before his judicial appointment, he served in the U.S. Army's JAG Corps and spent 38 years in private practice.
