Judge in Maduro's Case Continues to Challenge Trump

Appointed by former President Bill Clinton at the age of 64, Alvin Hellerstein has served on the federal bench for over 25 years. Now at 92, he remains a senior judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and has added another former president to his list of notable cases.

Judge Hellerstein has consistently refused to permit Donald Trump to transfer his New York State criminal charges to federal court, providing sharp critiques of Trump’s legal rationale. Trump was eventually convicted by a state court for his involvement in a scheme linked to payments, allegedly for silence, made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, during the 2016 campaign.

In his ruling, Hellerstein stated, 'Paying back Cohen for hush money paid to Stephanie Clifford doesn't count as executing a constitutional duty.' He further elaborated that creating bogus business records to conceal these repayments, treating them as business outlays for Trump and as income for Cohen, similarly does not pertain to presidential responsibilities.

A 2024 Supreme Court verdict, however, necessitates Hellerstein to revisit his prior ruling. The Second Circuit Court has instructed him to reevaluate the case with considerations about presidential immunity, influenced by the pivotal Supreme Court decision.

Hellerstein also dealt with a case involving the American Civil Liberties Union, which contested the deportation of Venezuelan individuals last year. He issued a temporary restraining order that safeguarded the potential deportees in the Southern District of New York until due process was granted. This case was initiated on behalf of two Venezuelan nationals disputing the employment of the Alien Enemies Act for deporting suspected gang affiliates.

Moreover, Judge Hellerstein recently presided over the case of a 2025 fraud involving a scheme against JPMorgan Chase, where a defendant falsely claimed vast client numbers for her company, Frank, which purported to transform student financial aid applications.

Since 2014, Hellerstein has been managing proceedings tied to cases involving Maduro. He was responsible for overseeing the 2020 indictment that included Maduro. The latest court session marked the first time Maduro directly appeared in Hellerstein's courtroom.