Federal judge who handled Trump and Maduro cases dies at 92

Alvin K. Hellerstein, the Manhattan federal judge who managed cases involving President Donald Trump, former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, has died. He was 92. Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain announced the death on Wednesday, noting that Hellerstein died in the morning surrounded by his family. The funeral is set for Thursday at Riverside Memorial Chapel in Manhattan.

Hellerstein served on the federal bench for nearly 30 years. He was appointed to the court in 1998 by President Bill Clinton after working as a Manhattan litigator and serving in the US Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He moved to senior status in 2011 but continued to take on a heavy caseload until his death.

Just two weeks before his death, Hellerstein presided over the arraignment of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple faces torture charges added to their existing narco-terrorism conspiracy case. Maduro was captured in a US military raid in Caracas in January. During the proceedings, Maduro refused twice to enter a plea. Hellerstein then interrupted the proceedings to enter a not guilty plea on the former president's behalf.

At an Oct. 8 bail hearing for Flores, Hellerstein appeared to struggle with his voice. He told lawyers, “I have a voice problem. As long as you can understand, hear me, I’ll keep going.” Despite his physical condition, he maintained that he would preside over the trial, which is scheduled for next June. Barry Pollack, Maduro’s attorney, said the defense team was saddened by the news and offered condolences to the judge's family.

Judge Analisa Torres will take over the Maduro case. Torres has been a federal judge since 2013 and previously served on the state bench in Manhattan. She was also part of an international monitoring delegation for Venezuela’s 2006 presidential election, a race won by Hugo Chávez, Maduro's late mentor.

In August, Hellerstein issued a ruling regarding Trump’s hush money conviction. He rejected the president’s request to move the case to federal court and dismiss it based on presidential immunity. Hellerstein wrote that paying $130,000 to adult film actor Stormy Daniels was not an official act. This was the third time he denied such a request. The first denial followed Trump’s March 2023 indictment, and the second followed a May 2024 conviction and a subsequent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.

The judge revisited the issue after the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that he had failed to consider relevant issues in his previous denials. The appellate panel expressed no view on how the case should be decided. In 2020, Hellerstein also released Michael Cohen from prison after the Justice Department revoked his home confinement. He ruled that the government’s action was retaliatory and violated the First Amendment.

Hellerstein’s legacy is closely tied to the litigation following the 9/11 attacks. He presided over dozens of wrongful death and injury lawsuits over a two-decade period. In March 2010, he rejected a settlement offer of at least $575 million for people who became ill from toxic ash at the World Trade Center. He told the court, “This is 9/11,” explaining that the case was different from typical private settlements. He also ended a 2008 effort to force New York City to continue searching for remains in debris moved to a Staten Island landfill.

The judge handled other high-profile matters, including the criminal trials of Charlie Javice and Bill Hwang. Javice was convicted last year of defrauding JPMorgan Chase of $175 million, while Hwang was convicted in 2024 of securities and market manipulation fraud. In 2025, a jury ordered BNP Paribas to pay nearly $21 million for aiding the Sudanese government’s access to the US financial system during atrocities. In 2015, he ordered a New York cable company to pay a Texas woman $229,500 for sending 153 robocalls. Hellerstein was known for his strict courtroom discipline and his insistence that spectators wear masks long after other judges dropped the requirement.

Swain described Hellerstein as a distinguished jurist who provided energetic and dedicated service. The court stated that he lived a life of commitment to public service and that his work ethic would continue to serve as a model for the court.