Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein Dies at 92 After Presiding Over Trump and Maduro Cases

Alvin K. Hellerstein, the Manhattan federal judge who managed cases involving President Donald Trump, former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, died on Wednesday morning. He was 92.

Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain confirmed the news in a court statement, noting that Hellerstein was surrounded by family when he passed. His funeral is set for Thursday at Riverside Memorial Chapel in Manhattan. Swain described him as a distinguished jurist whose energetic service to the court continued until his death.

Hellerstein remained active on the bench just two weeks before his death. He presided over the arraignment of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on October 16. The pair faced added torture charges alongside their existing narco-terrorism conspiracy case. Maduro had been captured in Caracas in January during a surprise US military operation.

During the proceedings, Maduro twice refused to enter a plea as requested. Hellerstein intervened, stating that a plea of not guilty would be entered on his behalf. At Flores’s October 8 bail hearing, the judge struggled with his voice but insisted on presiding over the trial, which is scheduled for June 2027.

Barry Pollack, Maduro’s attorney, expressed sadness at the judge’s passing. The case has now been reassigned to Judge Analisa Torres. Torres served on the state bench in Manhattan before joining the federal court in 2013. She was also part of an international monitoring delegation for the 2006 Venezuelan presidential election.

Before his death, Hellerstein issued a ruling in August regarding Trump’s hush money conviction. The judge denied Trump’s bid to move the case to federal court for dismissal based on presidential immunity. This marked the third time Hellerstein rejected such a request. The previous denials occurred after Trump’s 2023 indictment and following the US Supreme Court ruling on official acts in 2024.

In his written decision, Hellerstein stated that paying hush money to an adult film star or covering up an embarrassment did not fall under presidential immunity. The case centered on a $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled that Hellerstein erred by not considering important issues relevant to the request, though the panel did not specify how he should rule.

Hellerstein’s legacy was shaped largely by his two-decade oversight of 9/11 lawsuits. He handled dozens of wrongful death, injury, and property damage claims. He was known for meeting with victims and their families in his chambers for hours. In March 2010, he rejected a proposed settlement that would have paid at least $575 million to workers who became ill from toxic ash at the site. He argued that this case was different from standard private settlements because it involved the specific tragedy of 9/11.

The judge also presided over other high-profile matters. He released Michael Cohen from prison in 2020, ruling that the Justice Department’s revocation of home confinement was retaliatory and a First Amendment violation. He oversaw the 2025 trial of Charlie Javice, who was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase of $175 million, and the 2024 trial of Bill Hwang, who was convicted of securities fraud. In a 2015 case, he ordered a cable company to pay a Texas woman $229,500 for receiving 153 robocalls.

Known for strict courtroom discipline, Hellerstein required spectators to wear masks for years after other judges discontinued the practice. A New York native and Columbia Law School graduate, he served in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and worked as a litigator before President Bill Clinton appointed him to the federal bench in 1998. He maintained a heavy caseload even after moving to senior status in 2011.