In a guest essay for The New York Times published on Tuesday, lawyer and author Jeffrey Toobin argued that the judge overseeing President Nicolás Maduro’s trial should step aside, citing his advanced age and an incident during a 2025 trial in which he was reportedly caught falling asleep during proceedings.
Toobin, who was fired from The New Yorker in 2020 after exposing himself on a Zoom call with colleagues, explained that the best way for Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to “honor the system to which he has devoted decades of his life” would be to withdraw from the incredibly high-profile case.
In addition to Hellerstein’s age—the judge is 92 years old—Toobin cited instances in which he fell asleep while presiding over the six-week trial of Charlie Javice, a 32-year-old CEO who was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase of $175 million.
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