Maduro Gets New Judge, Analisa Torres

VENEZUELA · MADURO CASE

Judge Analisa Torres now holds the criminal case against Venezuela’s ousted president. Here is who she is and what the court calendar says.

What Happened

The criminal case against Venezuela’s ousted president, Nicolás Maduro, passed to US District Judge Analisa Torres on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who had presided over it, died that morning at 92, the court said.

For US readers, a federal court in Manhattan will try a foreign former head of state. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are presumed innocent unless a court convicts them.

The court docket shows a 2016 standing order on reassigning cases of departed judges, filed in the case on 28 October. The case number now ends in AT, the initials of Torres, instead of AKH for Hellerstein.

The court is the Southern District of New York, the federal trial court for Manhattan. Torres sits in courtroom 15D of the Moynihan courthouse at 500 Pearl Street, the court’s judge page says.

Who Judge Analisa Torres Is

Torres was born in New York in 1959, according to the Federal Judicial Center, the federal courts’ research agency. Some headlines call her Puerto Rican-born, but the center lists New York, and her family is described as Puerto Rican in origin.

After Harvard and Columbia Law School, she became a New York City judge in 2000. From 2004 to 2013 she served on the New York State Supreme Court, the state’s main trial court.

President Barack Obama nominated her in January 2013, and the US Senate confirmed her on 18 April 2013. In July 2023 she ruled that Ripple Labs’ XRP sales on public exchanges were not investment contracts.

The Charges and the Calendar

Prosecutors filed a fifth superseding indictment on Thursday, 8 October 2026, adding a count of conspiracy to commit torture. It lists five counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, torture conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and two machine-gun and destructive-device counts.

Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty on Thursday, 15 October, and the charges remain allegations. Federal law sets a maximum of 20 years in prison for torture conspiracy.

The docket settles the trial date: Hellerstein’s 15 October order moved trial from Tuesday, 1 June 2027 to Monday, 14 June 2027. The 1 June date came from a July hearing, which is why both dates circulate.

That order also sets oral argument on the defense motions to dismiss for Thursday, 17 December 2026. The defense claims head-of-state immunity, which shields a sitting leader from foreign courts, and prosecutors oppose it in a court filing.

Why It Matters

A new judge can reshape how fast the case moves, which motions succeed and whether the 14 June 2027 trial date holds. The immunity ruling is the first big test, and Torres inherits it.

Venezuela’s oil, sanctions and politics are tied to the case, as Rio Times Venezuela coverage shows. Investors and policy teams in Washington will watch the new judge’s first orders.

What Prediction Markets Say

Polymarket, where users trade real money, priced a Maduro release by 31 December at 4.6% on 29 October, 2:28 p.m. ET. About US$298,000 has been traded on that market, and these prices are bets, not polls.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What It Means for You

For US readers, nothing changes in law or travel rules because of the reassignment. The case continues in open federal court, where hearings are normally public.

Related: Maduro Judge Dies at 92, Case Reassigned and Maduro Pleads Not Guilty to Torture Charges. See also US Uses Rare Torture Law and the Venezuela hub.

What Is Not Known

The court has not said whether Torres will keep Hellerstein’s schedule, and both sides may seek delays. The defense has said it may ask to move dates if the immunity ruling comes late.

No ruling by Torres on head-of-state immunity is known, so how she will decide is unclear. The docket does not explain how she was chosen beyond the standing order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Judge Analisa Torres?

Torres is a US District Judge in Manhattan, born in New York in 1959. She has served since 2013 after nearly a decade on a state bench.

Why did the Maduro case get a new judge?

Judge Alvin Hellerstein died on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, aged 92. The case was reassigned the same day, and the docket now shows Torres.

When is the Maduro trial?

A court-approved schedule of 15 October sets trial for Monday, 14 June 2027. An earlier start of 1 June was moved back two weeks.

What charges does Maduro face?

Five counts: narco-terrorism, torture and cocaine importation conspiracies, plus two machine-gun and destructive-device counts. He and Flores pleaded not guilty.

Sources: US District Court, Southern District of New York, docket of United States v. Maduro Moros and Flores de Maduro, 11 Cr. 205, entries 342 (fifth superseding indictment, 8 October), 352 (scheduling order, 15 October) and 353 (standing order filed 28 October); court press advisory on the passing of Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, 28 October; court judge page of Hon. Analisa Torres; Federal Judicial Center biography of Analisa Torres; 18 U.S.C. 2340A (torture); Polymarket market data (accessed 29 October 2026, 2:28 p.m. ET).