New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Jan. 2, 2026, the appointment of civil rights and election attorney Ali Najmi as the Chair of the newly revitalized Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. The Mayor also signed an executive order to ensure that the Committee makes the judicial selection process more transparent and accessible to New Yorkers, a press release from his office said.
Najmi is the founder and former President of the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens (SAICBAQ), and presently serves on their advisory board. Najmi is a member of the New York City Bar Association, the Queens County Bar Association, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, and the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens.
“While the judicial branch plays a crucial role in our democracy, it is often inaccessible and shrouded in secrecy. My Administration will promote transparency in how we select New York City’s judges and ensure our city’s judicial system reflects the city it serves, applies the rule of law universally, and does so without favor,” Mamdani is quoted saying in the press release. “There is no one better to lead this effort than Ali Najmi, who will bring the same determination and commitment he’s brought to the courtroom for decades to his new role chairing the Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.”
“It is an honor to lead the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. A fair and equitable legal system is determined by our judges. I 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,” said Najmi.
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Under the Mamdani Administration, the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary will be charged with increasing transparency around the judicial selection process and promoting engagement. The new executive orderrequires the Committee to engage the wider legal community in the judicial selection process, including public defenders, attorneys who represent parents and children in family court, and those working in indigent legal services, the press release said.
Najmi is a graduate of Oberlin College and the City University of New York School of Law.