July 29, 2026 NEW YORK, NY New York City Hall is facing a major religious and political showdown after Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his newly appointed judicial advisory committee against fierce allegations of religious exclusion.
The firestorm erupted following an open letter penned by the presidents of four prominent Jewish legal organizations—the Brandeis Association of Queens, the Jewish Lawyers Guild, the Brooklyn Brandeis Society, and the Bronx County Jewish Bar Association. The bar leaders blasted the mayor for appointing an 18-member Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary (MACJ) that completely lacks Jewish attorneys, former judges, or legal professionals.
The coalition argued that the total absence of Jewish representation deepens a growing sense of marginalization within the community, which has been exacerbated by the mayor's vocal criticism of Israel. They specifically called out the rejection of retired appellate judge Justice John Leventhal, who had been recommended for the panel by New York’s Chief Judge Rowan Wilson.
Confronted by reporters at an unrelated press event on Wednesday, Mayor Mamdani did not mince words, calling the suggestion that his administration's decisions were driven by religion deeply troubling.
"I think the suggestion that there would be any decision-making motivated by religion, it does bother me," Mamdani stated. "This is a city that is beautiful because of the breadth of diversity of those who call it home, and that includes the Jewish community across the five boroughs."
Mamdani clarified that Leventhal was passed over not because of his faith, but because of his past association with a notorious criminal case. Leventhal had previously served on the legal team representing Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
"As much as possible, we thought it best to avoid any association between the committee that would be appointing judges and the Epstein world, especially given how much of a loss of faith it has created for many New Yorkers and Americans generally in our legal and our political system," Mamdani explained.
While the mayor appoints nine members of the MACJ—including committee chair Ali Najmi—the remaining nine are recommended by administrative judges and local law school deans. Mamdani also emphasized that he has successfully appointed multiple Jewish judges during his first six months in office and pledged that this representation would continue.
