The 92-year-old judge overseeing Maduro case is ‘old school’ and ‘doesn’t give a s***’ what people think

A former federal prosecutor described Hellerstein as resistant to outside pressure and unconcerned with criticism

The criminal case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is set to come before a veteran U.S. federal judge known for his independence and unconventional courtroom style.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, a Bill Clinton-era appointee based in Manhattan, oversaw Maduro’s arraignment on Monday and is expected to preside over any trial of the ousted leader.

Former federal prosecutors familiar with Hellerstein described him as guided by his own sense of judgment rather than convention.

“He’s just old and old-school and does things his own way and doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks about him,” a former prosecutor told Politico, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a judge they could appear before in the future.

The 92-year-old sits on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (Patrick McMullan/Getty)

Another former federal prosecutor added, “He tries very hard to do the right thing. [He] just has his own sense of what that is.”

Hellerstein, a jurist known for overseeing some of the most sensitive national security and terrorism-related cases in the country, has spent decades at the center of the American legal system.

The veteran sits on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, one of America’s busiest and most influential trial courts.

Appointed by Clinton in 1998, Hellerstein took senior status in 2011 and has continued to handle major cases that often test the limits of executive power and constitutional protections.

Born and raised in New York City, Hellerstein graduated from both Harvard University and Harvard Law School. He began his legal career clerking for Judge David L Bazelon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, a post that placed him close to landmark debates over civil liberties during the 1960s.

Before joining the bench, Hellerstein spent more than three decades in private practice in New York, where he developed a reputation as a formidable litigator in complex commercial and constitutional disputes.

Courtroom sketch of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro (Elizabeth Williams)

On the bench, Hellerstein became widely known for presiding over cases arising from the September 11, 2001, attacks, including civil litigation brought by victims’ families.

He also played a prominent role in habeas corpus challenges filed by detainees held at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, issuing rulings that scrutinized government evidence and procedures.

Hellerstein has repeatedly rejected President Donald Trump’s attempts to move his New York hush money case involving former adult star Stormy Daniels to federal court, criticizing the administration’s argument that the case involved official acts taken during his presidency.

A New York City jury convicted Trump in the case, which centers on reimbursements paid to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a payment made shortly before the 2016 election to Daniels.

In earlier rulings, Hellerstein said the actions did not fall within Trump’s constitutional duties as president.

“Reimbursing Cohen for advancing hush money to Stephanie Clifford cannot be considered the performance of a constitutional duty,” Hellerstein wrote, adding that falsifying business records to conceal the reimbursement likewise did not relate to any presidential function.

A New York City jury convicted Trump in the case, which centers on reimbursements paid to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a payment made shortly before the 2016 election to Daniels (REUTERS)

The judge also presided over a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union last year challenging the deportation of two Venezuelan nationals.

In that case, Hellerstein issued a temporary restraining order barring removals from the Southern District of New York until impacted individuals were afforded due process.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two Venezuelans, contested the government’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals accused of gang affiliations. The law, enacted in 1798, allows the US government during times of war to detain or remove people from countries deemed hostile to the United States.