Wednesday morning at his Manhattan home, 92‑year‑old Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein passed away surrounded by his wife and children, Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain announced.
Hellerstein, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1998, spent 23 years on the Southern District of New York bench, presiding over cases from the 9/11 victims’ lawsuits to President Donald Trump’s hush‑money conviction and the Venezuelan president’s criminal proceedings.
Two weeks before his death he ordered the arraignment of Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores on torture charges tied to their narco‑terrorism conspiracy; the trial was set for next June, before Judge Analisa Torres will take the case.
His rulings on the 9/11 claims earned him a reputation for relentless pursuit of justice: he dismissed a $575‑million settlement in 2010 after consulting with victims’ families, who complained it undervalued the lasting health damage from the World Trade Center dust.
With Hellerstein’s passing, the court will transfer the Maduro case to Judge Torres, who will schedule the trial for the first week of June, while the judge’s legacy continues to shape the federal judiciary.