New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani named Ramzi Kassem as the city’s chief counsel, alongside appointments of Steven Banks as corporation counsel and Helen Arteaga as deputy mayor for health and human services. Kassem, a former White House immigration adviser and founder of the CLEAR law clinic, previously served as lead defense counsel for Ahmed al-Darbi, a defendant in an al Qaeda-linked case. The pick has attracted both support for Kassem's civil-rights work and criticism over his past defense of a terrorism-related client.
Mamdani Names Ramzi Kassem As New York City Chief Counsel, Drawing Scrutiny Over Past Terror Defense
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he will appoint attorney Ramzi Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel, the city’s top legal post, effective when he takes office on Jan. 1. Mamdani also named Steven Banks as corporation counsel and Helen Arteaga as deputy mayor for health and human services.
Kassem is a longtime civil liberties and immigration lawyer whose résumé includes serving as a senior policy adviser on immigration for the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Biden administration. He is also the founder of the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) law clinic, which says it aims to support Muslim and other communities targeted by government counterterrorism and national security measures.
Controversy Over Past Defense Work
Kassem drew public attention for serving as lead defense counsel to Ahmed al-Darbi. In 2014, al-Darbi pleaded guilty before a U.S. military commission to conspiracy connected to an al Qaeda-linked plot to bomb the French oil tanker MV Limburg off Yemen’s coast; the attack killed one civilian and injured others. Al-Darbi was later convicted by military process in 2017 and transferred to Saudi custody in 2018.
Pro-Hamas activist and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil poses for selfies after his release from federal immigration detention in Jena, La., Friday, June 20, 2025.
At the time of the transfer, Kassem said, 'While it may not make him whole, my hope is that repatriation at least marks the end of injustice for Ahmed,' noting the defendant had endured '16 long and painful years in captivity.'
Recent Cases And Reactions
In 2025, Kassem represented Columbia University student and anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE on allegations related to campus demonstrations; Khalil has been released while his legal matter remains active.
Announcing the appointment, Mamdani praised Kassem's experience defending clients he described as "too often abandoned by our legal system," saying Kassem will be a "powerful advocate" in City Hall. Kassem called the post a "call of duty to serve the city that I've called home," recounting that he grew up in conflict-affected parts of the Middle East and views New York as his first stable home after immigration.
The announcement has prompted debate: supporters highlight Kassem's civil-rights and immigration work and his public-service credentials, while critics point to his role in defending a client tied to a terrorist-linked plot. Mamdani and his team say they value Kassem's legal experience and commitment to marginalized communities as they prepare for the administration's priorities.
