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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
thegatewaypundit.com ^ | Jan. 4, 2026 | Jim Hᴏft

Posted on 01/05/2026 6:27:49 AM PST by V_TWIN

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at thegatewaypundit.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: 92yearsold; alvinhellerstein; alvinkhellerstein; bondibashing; clintonstooge; dependsjudge; fakegaykaren; fakewaypundit; fixisin; hoftisafairy; hoftobsessedfairy; judgewatch; kinghellerstein; lookatallthetrolls; newyork; oldshizzpants; rapinbillstooge; sabotage; senileclown; senilestooge; stoogeroberts; stoogewatch; undermining
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To: V_TWIN; All
Random thought....maybe no NY (liberal) judge wanted this case ?

All deferred..."wake Ellerstein and give it to him"

21 posted on 01/05/2026 6:54:28 AM PST by chiller ( Davy Crockett said:"Be sure you're right, then go ahead." I'll go ahead.)
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To: V_TWIN

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1rqksvvzx

Orthodox Jewish judge Alvin Hellerstein to preside over Maduro case in Manhattan

The 92-year-old senior judge, an Orthodox Jew, will oversee the high-profile Manhattan prosecution of the Venezuelan leader, a longtime ally of Iran who has repeatedly attacked Israel and Zionism

Ninety-two-year-old Senior U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, an Orthodox Jew and one of the most senior active judges in the federal judiciary, has been assigned to preside over the criminal case against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Manhattan federal court.

Hellerstein, appointed to the bench in 1998 and taking senior status in 2011, has served for more than a quarter-century in the Manhattan-based court, widely regarded as the most powerful federal prosecutor’s office in the United States. Despite his age, he continues to hear major criminal, terrorism-related and national security cases.

Maduro, who was transferred to U.S. custody and brought to New York earlier this week, faces sweeping federal charges including narcotics trafficking, corruption and offenses linked to terrorism, according to U.S. prosecutors. The case has significant geopolitical implications and has drawn close attention in Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, given Maduro’s long alliance with Iran and repeated attacks on Israel and “Zionism” by his government.

Hellerstein’s Orthodox Jewish background is rarely emphasized in court coverage, but it has been widely noted in Jewish and legal circles over the years. He is known for observing Jewish law while maintaining a reputation for strict judicial independence and meticulous adherence to federal procedure.

Over his career, Hellerstein has presided over complex and politically sensitive litigation, including major financial cases and consolidated civil lawsuits stemming from the September 11 attacks. He is known for detailed rulings, firm courtroom management and a methodical approach to evidentiary and procedural matters.

Born in New York City in 1933, Hellerstein earned both his undergraduate and law degrees at Columbia University. He served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps before spending decades in private practice. Since joining the federal bench, he has remained a key figure in the Southern District’s docket.

With Maduro now in U.S. custody, proceedings are expected to move forward in Manhattan in the coming weeks under Hellerstein’s supervision.


22 posted on 01/05/2026 6:55:10 AM PST by dennisw (There is no limit to human stupidity / )
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To: blackdog

that i dont understand...why send it to NY??. Idiots.


23 posted on 01/05/2026 6:55:10 AM PST by basalt (Y ou new to this??)
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To: aquila48
He was a law clerk for Judge Edmund Palmieri of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1956 to 1957

Before I was born.

24 posted on 01/05/2026 6:55:24 AM PST by kiryandil (Resistance to The Odor is defiance to grainpidity)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

That was my first thought.


25 posted on 01/05/2026 6:56:22 AM PST by Zathras
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To: dennisw

Hellerstein is a senile clown.


26 posted on 01/05/2026 6:57:48 AM PST by kiryandil (Resistance to The Odor is defiance to grainpidity)
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To: basalt

“why send it to NY??”

It wasn’t “sent” to NY....the case is being tried there because that is where the indictment originated.


27 posted on 01/05/2026 6:57:58 AM PST by V_TWIN (America........so great even the people that hate it won't leave)
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To: kiryandil

“Hellerstein is a senile clown.”

His PR claims he is - Sharp as a tack.


28 posted on 01/05/2026 6:59:16 AM PST by dennisw (There is no limit to human stupidity / )
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To: dennisw

Just like Sniffy.


29 posted on 01/05/2026 7:00:44 AM PST by kiryandil (Resistance to The Odor is defiance to grainpidity)
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To: blackdog

See my post 27


30 posted on 01/05/2026 7:00:51 AM PST by V_TWIN (America........so great even the people that hate it won't leave)
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To: V_TWIN

well...the crime didnt happen there. Transfer it. Were not splitting the atom here...


31 posted on 01/05/2026 7:03:28 AM PST by basalt (Y ou new to this??)
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To: V_TWIN

Why would the adminstration ever place Maduro in that jurisdiction?


32 posted on 01/05/2026 7:04:15 AM PST by odawg
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To: caddie

It was a law enforcement operation servicing a federal indictment the military was there only for support. The indictment was several years old. A similar LE action was taken with Noriega and El Chapo.

It’s amazing to me the number of people on this site who want to throw out the Constitution! Once you’ve thrown it out, you won’t get it back!


33 posted on 01/05/2026 7:04:28 AM PST by Reily
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To: V_TWIN

Did Malta, or its chosen Judge, decide here, too?


34 posted on 01/05/2026 7:06:41 AM PST by Diogenesis (Si vis pacem, para bellum)
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To: V_TWIN

There was glowing testimonial by some lawyer on CNN who tried a case in his court, finding him sharp, non-biased, and so on ... 10 years ago.


35 posted on 01/05/2026 7:09:01 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: caddie

“But praise to Trump for doing this liberation of Venezuela and capture of Maduro, which gets Cuba, Columbia, USSR, China, all the dogs, back under the porch for a while.”

I was thinking something similar. Trump knows all this.

Trump is probably saying “I’ve already won and sent a message to the others and the world. I don’t care what NY does. I can always fetch him back if I need to. I have him on a leash now”.


36 posted on 01/05/2026 7:09:07 AM PST by plain talk
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To: V_TWIN

Why did they take him to NYC it’s worst than Venezuela ?


37 posted on 01/05/2026 7:10:12 AM PST by butlerweave (Fateh)
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To: Dr. Franklin

I count 25 regular U.S. district judges in the Southern District of NY, and 21 senior (semi-retired) U.S. district judges there.


All of them are likely Democrats and firmly anti-Trump, so it really would make no difference which one was picked. All of them will side with Maduro and order his release with compensation.


38 posted on 01/05/2026 7:11:41 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: V_TWIN

Well Judge.... we can either have a 4 year trial or drop him from a helicopter over where we picked him up from. The executive branch have moved far beyond the career lawyers at the department of justice and the world no longer cares about two individuals standing trial. The true power brokers for China, Ven. and OPEC will very open to the next move suggested by the USA. The truth on the ground, where China and the rest of Central and South America sit, has already shifted epically.

I would think Cuba leadership is sitting at the beach house wondering where they can get a palace guard that cannot be rented nightly by the CIA.


39 posted on 01/05/2026 7:11:47 AM PST by protoconservative (Been Conservative Before You Were Born )
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To: butlerweave; odawg

See my post 27


40 posted on 01/05/2026 7:14:05 AM PST by V_TWIN (America........so great even the people that hate it won't leave)
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