Why does anyone want or need heavy oil? What does it have going on that light sweet crude doesn’t? Both are desirable for different reasons. Anyway…
From 1957 to 1960, Hellerstein served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, the legal arm of the United States Army, so a military background.
In 1960, Hellerstein joined the now-defunct firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where he ended up practicing for much of his career. President Bill Clinton nominated him to the federal bench in 1998 more than a quarter century ago.
In a 2013 law review article, he wrote that some lawyers were "outraged" and accused him of "arrogation of power" when he rejected a $675 million settlement negotiated between New York City and injured first responders who raced to the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Hellerstein concluded that, while no statute or rule clearly addressed whether the deal needed his blessing, he had inherent authority to reject it as inadequate. The attorneys ended up presenting Hellerstein with a new settlement that added $125 million for victims.
In a high-profile case in 2020, Hellerstein ordered the release of former Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen, after Trump's Justice Department tried to revoke his home confinement and return him to jail. Hellerstein concluded Trump's administration was retaliating against Cohen for writing a book.
In 2023, Hellerstein denied a request by Trump to move to federal court his New York criminal case relating to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump was tried in state court and found guilty of 34 felony counts.
In May 2025, Hellerstein rejected an effort by the Trump administration to use a wartime law to send alleged gang members to Venezuela, saying the men had been improperly denied their day in court. “This is the United States of America," he said. "People are being thrown out of the country because of their tattoos.”
The 92-year-old judge overseeing the Nicolas Maduro case has said he displays a Hebrew scripture from the Torah on the wall of his Manhattan chambers: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof” — “Justice, justice you shall pursue."
So…
And yes…US law allows kidnapping victims from other nations to be tried in the U.S. under extraterritorial jurisdiction, primarily through 18 U.S.C. § 1201 (Kidnapping) and related statutes, which assert U.S. authority over certain serious crimes like kidnapping committed abroad if the offender is found in the U.S., regardless of their illegal entry, a principle reinforced by Supreme Court cases like United States v. Alvarez-Machaín (1992). The ruling reconfirmed the Ker-Frisbie Doctrine, established in Ker v. Illinois (1886) and Frisbie v. Collins (1952), which generally permits the prosecution of criminal defendants regardless of whether their presence was obtained in accordance with an applicable extradition treaty.
This jurisdiction is rooted in treaties and international law recognizing offenses of universal concern, allowing prosecution if the alleged offender is physically present in the U.S., even if forcibly brought there, though this law smells like a two week old trout stored in a hot rubber boot in the sun.
Anyway, Hellerstein "is a man of strongly held convictions and he seeks to find a way to harmonize the law with his understanding of justice," said Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor who has observed Hellerstein on the bench.
At 92, judge who defied Trump brings Torah ethos to Maduro trial — Reuters
The 92-year-old judge overseeing the Nicolas Maduro case has said he displays a Hebrew scripture from the Torah on the wall of his Manhattan chambers: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof” — “Justice, justice you shall pursue."
