By: Jason Ostedder

By any measure, the selection of a city’s chief legal adviser is a consequential act, one that signals not merely administrative priorities but the moral and ideological compass of an incoming administration. That is why Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s apparent move to elevate Ramzi Kassem—a polarizing lawyer with a long record of radical advocacy and controversial legal defenses—to one of the most powerful unelected positions in New York City government has ignited intense debate across political, legal, and communal lines.

As reported on Monday by The New York Post, Mamdani has tapped Kassem, a City University of New York law professor and a member of the mayor-elect’s transition team for legal affairs, as the leading candidate for Chief Counsel, the most senior legal advisory role in City Hall. According to sources close to the transition team cited by The New York Post, Kassem is viewed internally as the top contender for the post, which oversees the legal direction of the mayor’s office and exerts significant influence over citywide policy and litigation strategy.

The potential appointment has already drawn sharp reactions, particularly within New York’s Jewish community and among centrists who fear the politicization of the Corporation Counsel’s office. As The New York Post has documented, Kassem’s professional history includes defending an al Qaeda terrorist and a radical pro-Palestinian campus leader, as well as a personal record of anti-Israel activism stretching back decades.

Ramzi Kassem, 47, is no stranger to high-profile legal battles. Born in Syria and raised partly in the United States, he has built a career at the intersection of civil liberties law, immigration advocacy, and national security cases. Supporters describe him as a fearless defender of marginalized communities. Critics, however, argue that his legal choices and political writings reveal an ideological rigidity ill-suited for a role that demands institutional neutrality.

Among the most contentious episodes highlighted in The New York Post report is Kassem’s defense of Ahmed al-Darbi, an admitted al Qaeda operative convicted in 2017 for his role in the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker Limburg off the coast of Yemen. The attack killed one crew member and spilled tens of thousands of barrels of oil into the sea, making it one of al Qaeda’s most notorious maritime terrorist operations.

Kassem was part of al-Darbi’s legal defense team during proceedings at Guantanamo Bay. While defenders of Kassem insist that even terrorists are entitled to legal representation, critics argue that such cases reflect not merely professional obligation but ideological alignment with causes hostile to American and allied interests.

More recently, Kassem represented Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born activist who emerged as a leader of the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University. Khalil was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and slated for deportation, though after 104 days in detention, judges ordered his release. Khalil’s activism was widely viewed by Jewish students and faculty as crossing from protest into intimidation, a characterization Kassem has rejected.

The possibility that Kassem could become New York City’s top lawyer has set off alarm bells among Jewish leaders and political operatives.

“Kassem’s appointment to corp counsel wouldn’t sit well with the Jewish community,” Ken Frydman, a Democratic political operative, told The New York Post. Frydman emphasized that while legal representation is a fundamental right, attorneys are not compelled to take on every case. “Everyone’s entitled to legal representation…even Mahmoud Khalil. But that doesn’t mean Ramzi Kassem had to represent him,” he said.

Critics point not only to Kassem’s clients but to his own extensive record of anti-Israel rhetoric. As The New York Post has uncovered through archival records, Kassem was actively involved in anti-Israel protests while attending Columbia Law School, where he studied on a fellowship funded by donors linked to left-wing activism, including members of the Soros family.

In a 1999 letter to the editor of the Columbia Spectator, Kassem criticized the naming of a sandwich as an “Israeli wrap,” claiming it was offensive to Muslims and Arabs. In other opinion pieces from the late 1990s, he accused Israel of engaging in “a clear case of ethnic cleansing” and asserted that Jews arrived in the Middle East “with the intention of conquering the land.” He further argued that a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians was “not viable, nor is it desirable.”

To many observers, these statements go beyond criticism of Israeli policy and veer into rhetoric that delegitimizes Israel’s existence—a red line for much of New York’s Jewish population.

Despite the controversy, Kassem’s potential appointment has its defenders, some of whom told The New York Post that City Hall is overdue for a legal shake-up.

Ron Kuby, a prominent defense attorney known for his own civil liberties work, described Kassem as a potentially positive force. “It is past time that Corp Counsel’s office be given an upgrade and refresh,” Kuby said. “I have no giant objection to the way Corp Counsel has been functioning, but so many people at the top have just been there for too long.”

To supporters, Kassem’s background in challenging government power and defending unpopular clients demonstrates independence rather than extremism. They argue that his experience navigating complex constitutional issues could strengthen the city’s legal posture in an era of heightened federal-state tension.

Kassem’s influence extends well beyond the courtroom. In 2009, he founded Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility (CLEAR), a legal clinic at CUNY that provides free representation to Muslims and other communities in New York City. The nonprofit has received substantial funding from progressive philanthropies.

Public records show that CLEAR has received more than $3 million from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, as well as at least $1 million from MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The clinic has focused heavily on immigration defense, counterterrorism cases, and lawsuits alleging law enforcement misconduct.

In 2022, Kassem’s prominence in immigration advocacy earned him a role in Washington: the Biden administration appointed him as a senior policy advisor on immigration issues, a move that further elevated his national profile.

Adding another layer of complexity, The New York Post reported that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) honored Kassem in September with an award for his work defending Mahmoud Khalil. CAIR, the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the United States, has itself been the subject of controversy; both Texas and Florida have recently designated CAIR a foreign terrorist organization, a designation the group vehemently disputes.

For critics, the CAIR honor underscores what they view as a pattern of alignment with organizations and causes hostile to Israel and, by extension, to mainstream American foreign policy. For supporters, it reflects recognition of Kassem’s civil rights advocacy within Muslim communities.

As scrutiny intensifies, neither Kassem nor Mamdani’s campaign has responded to requests for comment from The New York Post. The silence has only fueled speculation about how committed the mayor-elect is to the appointment—and how he plans to navigate the political fallout.

Kassem is not the only controversial figure reportedly under consideration. Steven Banks, a self-described “social justice attorney,” is also on the shortlist for Corporation Counsel, raising additional concerns among insiders that the office could tilt toward activism rather than impartial legal stewardship.

The debate over Ramzi Kassem’s potential appointment is about far more than one lawyer. As The New York Post report emphasized, it is a referendum on the direction of the Mamdani administration itself: whether it will prioritize ideological alignment over broad-based consensus in governing the nation’s largest city.

The Corporation Counsel serves as the legal backbone of New York City government, representing every agency and advising on policies that affect millions of residents. Critics argue that entrusting such power to a figure with a long record of radical advocacy risks eroding public confidence in the impartial application of the law.

Supporters counter that discomfort with Kassem’s views should not disqualify him from public service, and that his appointment would signal a bold break from entrenched bureaucratic norms.

As the transition process continues, the scrutiny is unlikely to abate. Whether Mamdani presses forward with Kassem or retreats in the face of mounting opposition may prove an early and telling measure of how the incoming mayor balances ideology, pragmatism, and the diverse constituencies he is now tasked with serving.