Mamdani picks for panel that appoints NYC judges, including those who hear hate crime cases, short on Jews

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed 18 new members to the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary this week. Despite New York City having a high percentage of Jewish legal professionals, none of the appointees appear to be Jewish. This committee is responsible for appointing judges to criminal courts, including those handling hate crime cases, as well as family courts and interim civil court judges.

"If you were to pull 18 at random, you would expect there to be several Jewish members,"

said Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, who called the apparent lack of Jewish representation "ridiculous" and part of "a pattern and practice of under-protecting Jewish residents." One appointee, Julia Hernandez, signed an anti-Israel statement in 2020. The mayor's office stated the committee would make the judicial selection process "more transparent, more accessible and truly reflective of New York City."