Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Who Oversaw Maduro Case, Dies at 92

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who presided over the prosecution of Nicolás Maduro and other major cases, died on October 28 at age 92, the Southern District of New York said. The court said his pending cases would be randomly reassigned. A report published October 29 said Maduro’s case had been assigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres. Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain said Hellerstein’s service to the court continued until his death and that he would be missed. The court said he died Wednesday morning; some reports attributed natural causes to Swain, while the court’s reported reassignment announcement did not state a cause. Maduro faces narcoterrorism and drug-trafficking charges, as well as charges including conspiracy to commit torture. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, have pleaded not guilty. Hellerstein had overseen the case and, according to one account, presided over the couple’s arraignment two weeks before his death. The trial had been scheduled for June 2027, with one report specifying June 1. The reports do not establish whether that date will remain in place under Torres. A Justice Department source told one publication that reassignment would happen...