NYC mayor's judicial panel criticized for no Jewish members

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism from a coalition of Jewish legal organizations for appointing an advisory committee on judicial selections that includes no Jewish members. The 18-member Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, announced on July 22, will screen and recommend candidates for the city’s criminal, civil, and family courts.

In a letter sent to the mayor on July 27, the presidents of the Brandeis Association of Queens, the Jewish Lawyers Guild New York County, the Brooklyn Brandeis Society, and the Bronx County Jewish Bar Association called the omission a profound exclusion. They wrote that the absence of Jewish attorneys, former judges, or legal professionals contradicted the administration’s promise that the committee would be truly reflective of New York City. The groups urged the mayor to correct the exclusion by appointing qualified Jewish members.

The mayor’s office has defended the appointments. At an unrelated press event on Wednesday, July 29, Mamdani stated that religion played no part in his selection process and that the suggestion of religious motivation bothered him. He emphasized the city’s diversity, which he said includes the...