As of September 1, 2026, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro faces legal proceedings in U.S. courts that will test the American judiciary's historical reluctance to apply international law in criminal cases involving foreign leaders. The case echoes more than a century of precedent involving defendants ranging from 19th-century bank clerks to Central American dictators.
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NEW YORK, September 1 - For more than a century, in cases involving defendants ranging from a 19th-century Chicago bank clerk charged with theft to a Central American dictator accused of drug trafficking, U.S. judges have rejected arguments that alleged violations of international law or treaty obligations should result in dismissal of criminal indictments.
Venezuela’s Maduro to test US courts' reluctance to apply international law in criminal cases Reuters