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Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]

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Updated on: October 28, 2026 / 3:16 PM EDT / CBS News

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Alvin Hellerstein , a federal judge who for decades oversaw some of the country's most high-profile cases, counting among his defendants presidents and CEOs, has died, a spokesperson for the Southern District of New York confirmed Wednesday. He was 92.

At the time of his death, he was presiding over the criminal case of one former president, Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, while steadfastly refusing to allow another president — Donald Trump — to move his criminal case from state court to Hellerstein's Southern District of New York federal courthouse.…