Alvin Hellerstein, judge in Maduro and Trump cases, dies at 92

Alvin Hellerstein, a national justice who for decades oversaw immoderate of the country's astir high-profile cases, counting among his defendants presidents and CEOs, has died, a spokesperson for the Southern District of New York confirmed Wednesday. He was 92.

At the clip of his death, helium was presiding implicit the transgression lawsuit of 1 erstwhile president, Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, portion steadfastly refusing to let different president — Donald Trump — to determination his transgression lawsuit from authorities tribunal to Hellerstein's Southern District of New York national courthouse. Hellerstein had faced immoderate disapproval for taking connected the Maduro lawsuit successful January, conscionable days aft turning 92, and months aft reporters observed him appearing to concisely autumn dormant during the high-profile proceedings of Charlie Javice, a 32-year-old CEO who was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan successful the $175 cardinal merchantability of her startup.

Barry Pollack, an lawyer for Maduro, said successful a substance connection to CBS News, "We were saddened to larn of Judge Hellerstein's passing and connection our condolences to his family."

Hellerstein was 64 years aged erstwhile erstwhile President Bill Clinton appointed him to the national bench. In the 3 decades since, helium presided implicit large lawsuits related to the Sept. 11, 2001, violent attacks, a national suit against disgraced intersexual abuser Harvey Weinstein, litigation related to grounds of maltreatment astatine Abu Ghraib situation successful Iraq, the proceedings of Ponzi schemer David Hu, and past twelvemonth ruled against President Trump's usage of the Alien Enemies Act successful a lawsuit involving the deportation of Venezuelans.

During Hellerstein's last years, helium was a thorn successful Mr. Trump's side.

The no-nonsense justice repeatedly rejected efforts by Mr. Trump to region his New York State transgression lawsuit to national court. His opinions successful the substance often scorned arguments made by Mr. Trump's lawyers, who claimed that the facts astatine the bosom of Mr. Trump's "hush money" transgression case progressive authoritative acts nether the colour of his office. Mr. Trump was recovered blameworthy by a authorities assemblage successful that case, which revolved astir reimbursements made to erstwhile Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for a outgo conscionable earlier the 2016 statesmanlike predetermination to big movie prima Stephanie Clifford, whose signifier sanction is Stormy Daniels. 

"Reimbursing Cohen for advancing hush wealth to Stephanie Clifford cannot beryllium considered the show of a law duty," Hellerstein wrote. "Falsifying concern records to fell specified reimbursement, and to alteration the reimbursement into a concern disbursal for Trump and income to Cohen, likewise does not subordinate to a statesmanlike duty."

A 2024 ruling by the Supreme Court had forced Hellerstein to reconsider that determination. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered Hellerstein to reexamine arguments astir statesmanlike immunity, factoring the Supreme Court's landmark determination that upended aggregate Trump cases. Hellerstein ruled against Mr. Trump successful that substance 1 past clip connected Aug. 28, penning that "the proceedings grounds does not infringe connected statesmanlike immunity."

Hellerstein presided implicit cases connected to the Maduro substance since 2014. But his decease is improbable to make important delays successful the case, according to lawyer and erstwhile national authoritative Duncan Levin.

"There's nary automatic pause, and there's truly nary fixed play of delay. Obviously a caller justice is going to request clip to get acquainted with the case, but they tin support each the existing dates connected the calendar oregon set them arsenic necessary," Levin said. "One of the main qualifications of being a justice is that you tin work a batch of paper. The information that there's other paperwork falls into their accomplishment set."