Analisa Torres takes over the Maduro case after Hellerstein's death

New York — The criminal case against Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores has a new judge: Manhattan federal judge Analisa Torres, to whom the case was randomly reassigned on Wednesday afternoon, after the death that morning of Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein at age 92.

Torres has served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York since April 23, 2013, after being nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate. Born in New York in 1959, she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1981 and earned her law degree from Columbia University in 1984.

Before joining the federal bench, she served as a judge of the New York City Criminal Court (2000-2002), the Civil Court (2003-2004) and the state Supreme Court in the Bronx (2004-2013).

The change of judge does not void what has already happened or the charges: Maduro and Flores face federal charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to commit torture, and both have pleaded not guilty. Trial is scheduled for June 2027, and it is not yet clear whether the reassignment will delay the calendar.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Source: New York Post, Inner City Press and Wikipedia