New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has tapped longtime anti-Israel activist Ramzi Kassem as his chief counsel. The appointment, announced roughly a day before Mamdani’s inauguration, elevates Kassem—who served on the mayor-elect’s transition team—into one of the most powerful legal roles in City Hall. As chief counsel, Kassem will serve as the mayor’s top legal adviser and play a central role in shaping the administration’s legal strategy, policy defenses, and responses to litigation.

Kassem is a well-known figure in progressive legal and activist circles and has been a prominent critic of Israel. He was part of the legal team representing Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, after Khalil was detained by U.S. authorities. The case drew national attention amid heightened tensions surrounding campus protests over the Gaza war.

Prior to his appointment, Kassem led Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility (CLEAR), a nonprofit legal clinic based at CUNY School of Law. CLEAR has provided legal guidance and support to a range of activist groups in New York City, including some of the city’s most hardline anti-Zionist organizations. The clinic has focused heavily on cases involving immigration enforcement, protest activity, and challenges to law enforcement practices.

Kassem also previously served as a policy adviser on immigration issues in the administration of former President Joe Biden, adding federal-level experience to his resume.

In a social media post announcing the appointment, Mamdani praised CLEAR’s work, saying the organization “has been on the front lines of providing legal defense for students detained by ICE and supporting many more at risk.” The statement underscored the mayor-elect’s alignment with activist legal causes that have been central to Kassem’s career.

The selection of Kassem signals that Mamdani, a democratic socialist who ran on a platform centered on reshaping city governance and confronting entrenched institutions, intends to staff his administration with figures closely tied to progressive and activist movements. Critics, however, argue that placing a longtime anti-Israel activist at the helm of the city’s legal apparatus risks politicizing the role and could inflame already tense debates over antisemitism, campus protests, and foreign-policy-adjacent issues in New York City.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)