Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who presided over lawsuits stemming from the September 11 attacks and over the case against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has died at 92. The New York Times reported the death on October 28, 2026, and the news was confirmed by other outlets, including Politico and ABC News.
Hellerstein was a fixture of the federal bench in Manhattan, where he handled some of the most complex and high-profile litigation in the country. His docket included a long series of cases arising from the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, which generated thousands of claims and years of legal proceedings. Those cases placed him at the center of efforts to resolve disputes over the aftermath of the attacks, a role that made him one of the best-known judges in the Southern District of New York.
In more recent years, Hellerstein drew international attention as the judge overseeing the case against Maduro. ABC News described him as the federal judge who oversaw the Maduro case, and Politico likewise linked his name to that proceeding when reporting his death. The Times headline, which identified him as the judge who oversaw the Maduro case, underscored how his work had extended from domestic terrorism litigation to a prosecution involving a sitting head of state.
Coverage of his death noted that he was 92 at the time. The reports did not include details about the cause of death or about funeral arrangements, and no statements from court officials or family members were included in the material available for this report.
Hellerstein's death closes a long career on the federal bench. His rulings on the Sept. 11 litigation and on the Maduro matter ensured that his name remained in public discussion across both legal and political circles, and reports of his death prompted renewed attention to the cases he decided and the proceedings still pending before the court he served.