![\"3\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767400452_273_3.jpg\" "\\"Mamdani")
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Ali Najmi, the civil rights and election attorney Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed to chair the Mayor\u2019s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.<\/p>\n
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed longtime advisor and election attorney Ali Najmi<\/a> to chair the Mayor\u2019s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary<\/a> as it begins a new initiative to engage a wider swath of the city\u2019s legal community in its judge selection responsibilities on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Administration will promote transparency in how we select New York City\u2019s judges and ensure our city\u2019s judicial system reflects the city it serves, applies the rule of law universally, and does so without favor,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cThere is no one better to lead this effort than Ali Najmi, who will bring the same determination and commitment he\u2019s brought to the courtroom for decades to his new role chairing the Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.\u201d<\/p>\n The committee is responsible for evaluating and appointing judges to the city\u2019s family and criminal courts, as well as interim judges to its civil courts.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Najmi is a longtime friend and advisor to Mamdani. A fellow Queens resident, the two met when Mamdani volunteered to knock doors on Najmi\u2019s unsuccessful 2015 bid for a City Council seat in eastern Queens.\u00a0 The men have remained close since \u2014 they regularly refer to each other as brothers \u2014with Najmi taking on Mamdani as a client and mentee through the latter\u2019s state Assembly and mayoral races.<\/p>\n Mamdani is one of many insurgent candidates that Najmi has represented in a roughly 15-year legal career centered on ensuring a wide swath of Democratic candidates, particularly anti-establishment ones, can get on the ballot. Just this past June, he represented at least 18 in the primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also a prominent civil rights and defense attorney, Najmi called it an honor to lead the committee and impact the city-wide judiciary. As it stands now, he said he felt not enough people knew about the committee or how to apply to be a judge, creating a perception that only those who are well-connected could sit on a bench \u2014 something he believes is broken with the system and is looking to change.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn this administration, the people who never thought they could be a judge, but deserve to be one, will finally have that chance,\u201d Najmi said. \u201cWe will be able to have a system in place that will judge people on the merits of their experience, their qualifications and their commitment to public service.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI am committed to making our judicial selection process more transparent and inclusive to ensure that all 8.5 million New Yorkers see themselves reflected on the bench,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n