Zohran Mamdani and Ramzi Qasim

New York City’s new Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently announced that he is appointing Ramzi Qasim as Chief Counsel. The post of Chief Counsel is the highest legal post in the city. Ramzi Qasim is the same lawyer who defended Ahmed al-Darabi, a member of the banned organization Al-Qaeda.

Zohran Mamdani took office as Mayor of New York after being sworn in on January 1. On this occasion, he announced the appointment of Ramzi Qasim as the Chief Counsel of New York City. Along with this, he also announced the appointment of Steven Banks as Corporation Counsel and Helen Ortega as Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services. Ramzi Qasim has also previously worked as a Senior Policy Advisor on Immigration Matters in the Domestic Policy Council of the White House during the tenure of former US President Joe Biden.

Who is Ramji Qasim?

Ramzi Qasim is a professor of law at the City University of New York (CUNY). He has also been a senior advisor on immigration matters in the Domestic Policy Council of the White House during the tenure of the first US President Joe Biden. Apart from this, he has also been a part of Zohran Mamdani’s legal affairs transition team.

Which cases did you fight?

Ramji Qasim has been a lawyer in many famous and controversial cases. He was the chief lawyer of Ahmed al-Darabi. Al-Darbi admitted in 2014 that he was involved in the 2002 al-Qaeda attack on the French oil tanker MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen. He was convicted in 2017 and deported to Saudi Arabia in 2018.

In the year 2025, Qasim had also fought the case of Mahmood Khalil. Khalil is a Columbia University alumnus and pro-Palestine activist who was arrested by the US agency ICE for his role in the campus protests. He was later released, although the case is still pending in court.

Mamdani praised

When Mamdani announced Kasim’s appointment, he praised his experience and said that Kasim’s arrival would further strengthen City Hall and strengthen the work of building a better city for all people.

Ramji Qasim is also the founder of a legal clinic named CLEAR. This organization provides legal aid to Muslim communities, immigrants and people who are facing investigation by federal agencies.

Upon his appointment, Qasim said that New York City will stand at the forefront when the federal government seeks to weaken civil rights and the rule of law. He said that fear, cruelty and dictatorship will not be given place in the city.

Criticism of Qasim’s appointment

There has been a lot of criticism regarding the appointment of Ramji Qasim. In particular, some conservative leaders and people associated with some Jewish organizations are angry about his old writings, his activism in university and his legal work in matters related to Israel-Palestine.

Ken Friedman, a political strategist associated with the Democratic Party, told the New York Post, “Everyone has the right to get legal help, even Mahmoud Khalil. But that does not mean that Ramzi Qasim should have taken his case.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Zohran Mamdani rejected this criticism. He said that these appointments show that his government will give utmost importance to civil rights, law enforcement and social justice.