Spanish newspaper El País drew sharp criticism from multiple journalists after publishing an article suggesting the judge overseeing the court proceedings in the Nicola Maduro case in New York, Judge Alvin Hellerstein, maintains judicial impartiality "despite" his Jewish community membership, social media posts showed. The controversial phrasing appeared in the newspaper's coverage of Hellerstein, who is presiding over the trial of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. A new version of the article appeared later on Wednesday, without the controversial phrasing.
Journalist Noga Tarnopolsky noted that El País, which she described as Spain's equivalent to The New York Times, reported that Hellerstein is "a highly regarded jurist 'despite being a recognized member of the Jewish community.'"
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, responding to the article, asked what antisemitism readers must tolerate from the Spanish outlet. Italian journalist Luciano Capone shared the El País piece with the comment "What a shame," while journalist Eddy Wax noted that a writer at the Spanish newspaper had characterized the judge as impartial "despite his Jewishness."
💥@El_Pais, widely considered The New York Times of Spain, reports that Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who will preside over the Maduro trial, is a highly regarded jurist "𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲." https://t.co/Y2lpMDFGAL
— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) January 6, 2026
The passage from El País that drew the backlash stated: "Hellerstein, who studied law at Columbia University, began his career as a clerk at the court he now presides over. Throughout his career, he has issued well-reasoned rulings and has a reputation for impartiality despite being a prominent member of the Jewish community. He has written that the way in which a judge decides a case should not depend on his religious education, religious identity or religious values."
