Tocorón Watch
Judge signs protective order on evidence in the Maduro case
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein signed a protective order (rules on how evidence the government turns over to the defense may be used) for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. The order bars the defense from posting that material online or on social media and from giving it to the media. It also creates more restricted categories, such as attorney's-eyes-only material, and bars sharing it with charged defendants who have not been apprehended.
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan) · case 1:11-cr-00205
- Judge
- Alvin K. Hellerstein · who he is
- Prosecution
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton)
- Defense
- Barry Pollack (Maduro) · Mark Donnelly (Cilia Flores)
- Next date
- September 30, 2026 · Defense reply on house arrest due
- Where it stands
- Maduro and Cilia Flores held at MDC Brooklyn since January 2026; both pleaded not guilty. Trial set for June 1, 2027. Hugo Carvajal pleaded guilty (June 2025) and awaits sentencing. Diosdado Cabello is charged but not in custody.
What it means
Such orders are common in federal criminal cases; according to its text, this one lets the government produce discovery while protecting witnesses and ongoing investigations. It limits what the defense can make public about that evidence. The government's designations control initially, but the defense may ask the court to change them.
What happens next
The order sets no new dates. Trial is set for June 1, 2027.
In the document's own words
“The defense shall not post any Disclosure Material on any Internet site or network site, including any social media site such as Facebook or X, to which persons other than the parties hereto have access, and shall not disclose any Disclosure Material to the media.”
“Disclosure Material may not be shared with any named defendant who has not yet been apprehended in this action or any such defendant's counsel.”
How the court describes it (original, English)
Our plain-language summary of a public court record, written with AI help and checked against the document. It is not a finding of guilt or legal advice. See a mistake? Tell us
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