Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who led 9/11 and Trump cases, dies at 92
The veteran Manhattan jurist served on the federal bench for 28 years before passing away surrounded by family.
By Natalia Costa ·
Judge Alvin Hellerstein, the federal jurist who presided over major legal disputes stemming from the September 11 attacks, the administration of President Donald Trump, and the prosecution of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, died Wednesday at the age of 92.
Edward Friedland, the district executive for the Southern District of New York, confirmed the death. Hellerstein served on the bench in that district for nearly three decades after his appointment by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain stated that Hellerstein passed away with his family at his side. Swain described him as an insightful lawyer who brought sensitivity, fairness, and efficiency to his role.
Hellerstein was born in New York and earned his doctorate from Columbia Law School in 1956. He clerked in the Southern District for a year before joining the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a first lieutenant. He served in the military from 1957 to 1960 and then worked in private practice until his federal appointment.
Colleagues and attorneys who worked in his courtroom praised his directness and compassion. Nicholas Garaufis, a federal judge in Brooklyn, said he relied on Hellerstein’s wisdom regarding judicial ethics for decades. Garaufis noted that Hellerstein was always willing to listen and offered excellent, candid advice. Jennifer Brown, the attorney in charge of the federal defenders’ trial unit in the Southern District, said Hellerstein showed real decency and sought to understand the lives of the defendants in his criminal cases.
Hellerstein managed the extensive litigation following the 2001 terrorist attacks. In March 2010, he rejected a city proposal to pay roughly $575 million to first responders exposed to toxic air at Ground Zero. He found the offer fell short of what was owed and stated he would not preside over a settlement based on fear or ignorance.
The judge assumed senior status in 2011 but continued to handle complex white-collar prosecutions. He presided over the securities fraud case against Archegos Capital founder Bill Hwang, who was found guilty last year. Hellerstein also blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants in New York custody to El Salvador without notice. He criticized the policy as inhumane, noting that individuals were being sent away because of tattoos.
Hellerstein ruled on the ongoing narco-trafficking conspiracy case against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro appeared before him two weeks ago on new torture charges. Court officials said the case will be reassigned to Judge Analisa Torres. Last year, Hellerstein prohibited the administration from deporting certain Venezuelan migrants without a hearing.
In 2020, Hellerstein ordered Michael Cohen out of prison after finding the government violated the First Amendment by revoking home confinement because Cohen planned to write a book. Cohen described Hellerstein as judicious and nonpartisan. He expressed a wish he could have shaken the judge’s hand to thank him for helping give him his life back.
