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Archive photo · 21 September 2024Alvin K. Hellerstein Dies at 92 After Presiding Over Trump, Maduro and 9/11 Cases
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Manhattan federal judge Alvin K. Hellerstein died at age 92. He presided over Trump, Maduro, and 9/11 cases.
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Judge Hellerstein Dies
Alvin K. Hellerstein, a Manhattan federal judge who presided over cases involving President Donald Trump, former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the 9/11 attacks, died at 92 on Wednesday morning while surrounded by his family.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain said in a statement, "He is greatly appreciated and will be sorely missed," and she said Hellerstein's energetic and dedicated service to the court continued until his death.
Hellerstein had presided over the arraignment of Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on torture charges added to their ongoing narco-terrorism conspiracy case just two weeks before his death.
Hellerstein directed that a plea be entered on Maduro’s behalf, interjecting, "a plea of not guilty will be entered on behalf of Mr. Maduro."
Hellerstein also presided over the hush money case, rejecting Trump’s effort to erase his hush money conviction on presidential immunity grounds in a ruling that said, "Paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity."
Maduro Trial and Handover
Analisa Torres, a federal judge who will take over the case, was part of an international monitoring delegation for Venezuela’s 2006 presidential election, won by Maduro’s late mentor and predecessor, 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," as the court prepared for the next steps in the Maduro matter.
France 24 said Hellerstein’s cases are expected to be randomly assigned to other judges in the Manhattan court, and it said Maduro’s trial on torture and drug trafficking charges is scheduled for next June.
The Times of Israel said Maduro’s trial is scheduled for next June and said the judge’s cases are expected to be randomly assigned to other federal judges.
The BBC and other coverage described Hellerstein as presiding over the arraignment of Maduro and Cilia Flores on torture charges added to their ongoing narco-terrorism conspiracy case just two weeks before his death, with Hellerstein telling lawyers at Flores’ Oct. 8 bail hearing, "I have a voice problem. As long as you can understand — hear me, I’ll keep going."
Legacy Across 9/11 and Trump
Hellerstein’s legacy on the bench included a two-decade-long effort presiding over dozens of wrongful death, injury and property damage lawsuits stemming from the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
“‘This is different,’ Hellerstein said. ‘This is 9/11.’”
In March 2010, Hellerstein rejected a proposed settlement that would have paid at least $575 million to thousands of people who fell ill working in the toxic ash of the trade center, and he said, "This is different," and "This is 9/11."
Hellerstein also ordered the release of Michael Cohen in 2020 after the Justice Department revoked his home confinement, and he ruled the government’s action was retaliatory and a First Amendment violation.
In 2015, Hellerstein made headlines when he ordered a New York City cable company to pay a Texas woman $229,500 for flooding her phone with 153 robocalls.
KSL News said Hellerstein’s latest ruling against Trump came after an appeals court ordered him to reconsider his prior decision, and it said the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Hellerstein erred by failing to consider "important issues relevant" to the president's request.