Judge Hellerstein Dies at 92

Alvin K. Hellerstein, a Manhattan federal judge who presided over matters involving former President Donald Trump, former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the 9/11 attacks, has died. He was 92.

Hellerstein's death was confirmed by Edward Friedland, district executive for the Southern District of New York federal courts. No cause of death was immediately disclosed.

In recent weeks, Hellerstein presided over a Manhattan hearing in the ongoing prosecution of Maduro, who was captured earlier this year in a surprise raid.

Appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1998, Hellerstein served as a district judge until moving to senior status in 2011. He previously served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and was a Manhattan litigator.

Following the 9/11 attacks, Hellerstein presided over dozens of lawsuits related to the World Trade Center disaster. Some of his former clients died in the attack, and he was known for showing empathy to victims and their families.

In 2008, Hellerstein ended an effort to keep searching for human remains in debris moved from ground zero to a Staten Island landfill, a decision that disappointed some.

Hellerstein was known for his strict courtroom discipline and insistence on mask-wearing for spectators, a practice he maintained for over two years after other judges stopped it.

In August, Hellerstein rejected Trump’s attempt to move his hush money case to federal court, the third time he denied such a request. The decision followed an appeals court order to reconsider his prior ruling.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Hellerstein erred by not considering important issues related to Trump’s request, but expressed no view on how he should rule.

In 2020, Hellerstein ordered the release of Michael Cohen after the Justice Department revoked his home confinement, ruling the action was retaliatory and violated the First Amendment.

In 2015, Hellerstein ordered a New York City cable company to pay a Texas woman $229,500 for flooding her phone with robocalls.