3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 21
Ramzi Kassem, 48, has been tapped as chief counsel to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, putting a onetime NYPD adversary in charge of advising City Hall on police matters.
Lina Khan, who helped with the search, said the job required a lawyer who would not block Mamdani’s agenda—such as free child care and city-run grocery stores—but also would not simply rubber-stamp it.
Kassem’s record is likely to draw scrutiny: he sued the NYPD over surveillance of Muslim New Yorkers, represented more than a dozen Guantánamo detainees and founded a clinic defending Muslims targeted under counterterrorism laws.
He also represented Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate caught up in President Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters, underscoring how Mamdani is staffing his administration with lawyers tied to civil-liberties fights.
What does the first Muslim chief counsel's appointment mean for religious liberty in NYC?
Can a lawyer known for suing the NYPD successfully guide the city's law enforcement policies?
How will a counsel who defended Guantánamo clients navigate the new federal counterterrorism strategy?