Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein Overseeing Maduro Trial Dies at 92

The death of the presiding judge in the federal criminal trial of Nicolás Maduro creates a vacancy that will require a new judge to take over the high-profile proceedings.

• •Federal judge Alvin Hellerstein passed away at the age of 92.
• •Hellerstein was set to oversee the criminal trial of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
• •He was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and served for nearly three decades in New York City.
• •Maduro and his wife appeared in Hellerstein's courtroom less than two weeks prior to plead not guilty to new criminal charges involving narco-terrorism.
• •Hellerstein previously handled high-profile cases including 9/11 fallout litigation, disputes involving Donald Trump, and a civil lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein.
• •He denied Donald Trump's efforts to move his hush money criminal prosecution into federal court.
• •He rejected an eight-figure proposed settlement between Harvey Weinstein and women who accused him of sexual abuse.
• •He permitted Michael Cohen to be released from prison to home confinement.
• •Before his judicial career, Hellerstein attended Columbia College and Columbia Law School and served in the military justice branch of the U.S. Army.