Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed a new memorandum of understanding on August 28, 2026, re‑establishing a formal partnership between City Hall and the New York City Bar Association for the vetting of judicial nominees. The agreement restores the Bar Association’s role in reviewing candidates, a function that had been suspended during the administration of former Mayor Eric Adams.
Under the memorandum, the New York City Bar Association Judiciary Committee will again provide its assessments of prospective judges to the mayor’s office. The revived collaboration is intended to bring the Bar’s expertise back into the selection process, ensuring that nominees receive a thorough, independent evaluation before confirmation.
The previous mayor, Eric Adams, had briefly ended the Bar Association’s input on judicial nominations, effectively removing the organization from the advisory chain. Mayor Mamdani’s decision reverses that policy, signaling a return to the traditional consultative model that had been in place for years.
City officials indicated that the new memorandum formalizes the procedures for sharing information and feedback between the mayor’s office and the Bar Association. While the details of the process were not disclosed, the agreement reaffirms the Bar’s longstanding involvement in shaping the city’s judiciary.
The restoration of the partnership arrives as the city prepares to consider a slate of upcoming judicial appointments. By reinstating the Bar Association’s evaluative role, the administration aims to align its nomination process with established professional standards and to benefit from the Bar’s specialized knowledge of legal qualifications.
Mayor Mamdani’s action marks a clear policy shift from the prior administration and re‑establishes a collaborative framework that had been a fixture of New York City’s judicial selection system.