The federal judge Roy Altman, born in Caracas and appointed by Donald Trump to the Southern District of Florida, has unexpectedly become a popular figure among the Venezuelan diaspora: dozens of people write to him asking for positions in a potential government in Venezuela.
He, however, outright dismisses it.
According to an interview published this Thursday by Telemundo 51 on its program Encuentro Virtual, hosted by journalist Gloria Ordaz, Altman was categorical: his commitment to public service belongs to the United States.
One hundred emails and one clear response
Altman acknowledged to Gloria Ordaz that the attention generated by his public appearances took him by surprise, and he revealed the magnitude of the phenomenon with a specific number.
“I already have about 100 people who have sent me emails asking for positions in my government in the future of Venezuela”, the judge stated.
Despite the enthusiasm of those who see him as a transitional figure for the Caribbean country, Altman closed the door unequivocally.
“The truth is that I am American. I came here when I was three years old. This country gave me everything, just like it did for you. My family was embraced when we had nothing,” he expressed.
And he added: “I don’t want to be in another country, I don’t want to be the leader of another country. I want to serve this people and this country.”
Beyond his personal will, there is also a legal obstacle: the Venezuelan Constitution requires that the president be a native-born Venezuelan and not have another nationality, a requirement that Altman, a U.S. citizen, does not meet.
The judge himself acknowledged that obstacle during the interview.
From Caracas to a federal court
Roy Kalman Altman was born in Caracas in 1982, but he moved to the United States with his family when he was just three years old and built his entire professional career in that country.
He graduated from Columbia University in 2004 and obtained his law degree from the Yale Law School in 2007, where he served as a projects editor for the Yale Law Journal.
After working for six years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida—handling hundreds of criminal cases and bringing more than twenty to jury verdict—he became a partner at the Podhurst Orseck law firm in Miami.
Trump announced his nomination in April 2018, and the Senate confirmed it a year later with a vote of 66 to 33. At 36 years old, he became the youngest federal district judge in the United States at that time.
His vision on Venezuela
Altman's prominence within the Venezuelan community has intensified in the political context following Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026.
Since then, the transition process supervised by Washington has sparked speculation about which figures might play a role in the country's future.
Altman has publicly spoken about the damage that chavismo has caused to Venezuelan institutions.
In his graduation speech at the Law School of the University of Miami, delivered in May 2026, he recalled a trip to Caracas in 2003 and described how Chávez "filled the Supreme Court with his friends" to gain approval for indefinite reelection.
He quoted a lesson from his grandfather: "This is what happens to a country when good people do nothing."
In the interview with Telemundo 51, the judge expressed cautious optimism about the current situation in Venezuela: “We will see what happens. We are opening economic relations; you can already see political changes.”
A book and an ajar door
In addition to his work in the judiciary, Altman published this year the book Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law, in which he analyzes the major accusations against Israel from a legal and historical perspective, applying to the public debate the standards typical of a court.
When Gloria Ordaz asked him if he was considering leaving the bench to enter politics, he first responded emphatically: "Honestly, no, I love being a judge."
However, when asked if he might run for governor of Florida one day, he left a small opening: "You never know."
Filed under: