U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein now assigned to preside over the high-stakes prosecution of Nicolás Maduro in New York (Screenshot: Rabbi Efrem Goldberg/Youtube)
In the latest episode of the Deep State circus that’s turned our justice system into a bad joke, a 92-year-old federal judge appointed by none other than Bill Clinton back in the ’90s has been assigned to oversee the high-profile case against Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in New York.
This is the same judge who has a track record of rulings that seem tailor-made to thwart President Trump’s agenda and protect left-wing interests.
U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who took senior status way back in 2011, but somehow keeps popping up in major cases.
He has issued several controversial rulings adverse to Donald Trump and his administration. These rulings have spanned Trump’s time as a private citizen, his first presidency, and his current second term.
Rulings During Trump’s First Administration (2017-2021)
Asylum Seeker Detention Policy (December 27, 2018):
In a case involving an asylum seeker’s prolonged detention, Hellerstein sharply criticized the Trump administration‘s approach, ruling that asylum seekers could not be held indefinitely without hearings.
He stated that “autocracies of the world have been marked by harsh regimes of exclusion and detention,” framing the policy as unconstitutional and inhumane. This decision ordered expedited reviews for detainees, directly challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement tactics.
Controversy stemmed from Hellerstein’s strong language, which administration officials decried as judicial activism interfering with border security.
The ruling was part of a larger litigation tracker documenting over 100 challenges to Trump immigration actions, with Hellerstein’s order extended in subsequent updates.
Michael Cohen’s Release from Prison (July 23, 2020):
Hellerstein ordered the release of Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who had been returned to prison after home confinement.
The judge ruled that the action was “retaliation” by federal officials for Cohen’s planned tell-all book criticizing Trump, violating First Amendment rights.
Hellerstein noted that Cohen’s probation terms included a gag on media contact, which he deemed unconstitutional.
Deutsche Bank Financial Subpoenas (July 2020):
The House Financial Services and Intelligence Committees issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One for Trump’s personal and business financial records, seeking information relevant to potential legislation on money laundering, foreign influence, and presidential ethics.
Trump sued to block the subpoenas, arguing they lacked a legitimate legislative purpose and were overly broad.
Hellerstein rejected Trump’s attempt to block congressional subpoenas for his financial records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One.
Rulings Related to Trump’s Personal Legal Battles (2023-2024)
Hush-Money Case Venue Transfer Denial (July 19, 2023):
Hellerstein shot down President Trump’s rightful motion to shift his so-called “hush-money” witch hunt from New York’s kangaroo state court to federal jurisdiction.
This sham case, cooked up over bogus claims of falsified business records tied to personal payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, was dismissed by Hellerstein as “purely personal” and totally disconnected from Trump’s official duties as Commander-in-Chief.
He sneered at it as a mere “cover-up of an embarrassing event,” ignoring the obvious political motivations behind this lawfare assault.
Thanks to this rigged decision, the farce stayed in the clutches of radical Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, a Soros-backed Democrat, where Trump was railroaded into a conviction on 34 trumped-up felony counts, all part of the left’s desperate bid to derail his America First agenda.
Post-Conviction Hush-Money Transfer Denial (September 3, 2024):
Following Trump’s conviction and the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, Hellerstein again rejected a transfer bid, stating the immunity decision did not alter his view that the acts were unofficial.
He noted Trump failed to show “good cause” for the late request. This cleared a path for sentencing (scheduled for September 18, 2024, though delayed).
Rulings During Trump’s Second Administration (2025)
Alien Enemies Act Due Process Requirement (April 9, 2025):
Hellerstein slapped a temporary restraining order blocking deportations of two Venezuelan immigrants without notice or hearings, ruling that the Trump administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act violated due process.
The Act, invoked for Tren de Aragua gang members, was challenged by the ACLU. Hellerstein focused on immediate relief, declining to rule on the Act’s overall legality but emphasizing protections for detainees in New York.
Extension and Rebuke of Alien Enemies Act (April 22, 2025):
Extending the block, Hellerstein rebuked the Act’s application to migrant gang members without due process, ordering bilingual notices and hearings. This decision criticized transfers to El Salvador’s CECOT prison as inhumane, with no recourse for deportees.
Hellerstein blasted DOJ lawyers during a hearing and accused them of throwing people out of the US “because of their tattoos.”
Preliminary Injunction on Alien Enemies Act Invocation (May 6-7, 2025):
In G.F.F. et al. v. Trump et al., Hellerstein granted a preliminary injunction, ruling the Act was “not validly invoked” as there was no “war, invasion, or predatory incursion.”
He dismissed claims of Venezuelan regime-directed gang activities, calling evidence unreliable, and condemned inadequate notices and CECOT conditions as “notoriously evil.”
In his order granting a preliminary injunction enjoining the enforcement of the Alien Enemies Act in his district, Judge Hellerstein said illegal aliens have the same due process rights as American citizens.
Gaza-Related Deportations Block (September 2025):
Hellerstein halted deportations of Palestinian activists, Mahmoud Khalil, protesting Israel’s Gaza war, ruling against the administration’s use of emergency powers.
General Michael Flynn didn’t hold back as he weighed in on this explosive new development, stating: “So much for the SDNY…jurors will be picked from those protestors in time square.”
So who exactly pulled the strings to make sure Maduro’s fate should be decided in a rigged, far-left New York, the same judicial playground used to persecute Trump allies and protect global criminals?
.@LauraLoomer is right about this. Why Maduro was not charged in Miami is a mystery. https://t.co/yIiKioLVdC
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) January 4, 2026
The post YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP: 92-Year-Old Clinton Judge Who Denied Trump’s Hush-Money Removal to Federal Court and Blocked Venezuelan Gang Deportations Now Assigned to Preside Over Maduro Case in New York appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.