Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani Appoints Christine Clarke to Lead the New York City Commission on Human Rights


Mamdani Administration continues efforts to use law as a tool to fight the affordability crisis

 

Clarke has fought — and won — legal battles for low-income New Yorkers, securing language access rights for immigrant victims of domestic violence and life-saving housing subsidies for elderly and disabled New Yorkers 

 

As Chair, Clarke will advance the Mayor’s agenda of fiercely defending the rights of working New Yorkers 

TODAY, Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Christine Clarke as Chair of the Commission on Human Rights. As Chair, Clarke will tirelessly defend the rights of every single New Yorker, enforcing the NYC Human Rights Law, one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in the nation, and will promote public education so every New Yorker knows their rights. Clarke will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.  

 

Christine Clarke is the Chief of Litigation and Advocacy and member of the executive team of the largest civil legal services organization in the country, Legal Services NYC — offering a vast array of legal services benefiting over 100,000 low-income New Yorkers each year. Clarke has fought, and won, countless legal battles for low-income New Yorkers, including helping secure access to life-saving housing subsidies for elderly and disabled New Yorkers after their head of household has died, access to residential water services for elderly or disabled low-income homeowners, and language access for NYCHA tenants. 

 

She has also represented countless individual New Yorkers who were victims of workplace discrimination and harassment, survivors of domestic violence who faced housing and employment discrimination, people with disabilities who needed workplace and housing accommodations, and so much more.  

 

“I am proud to announce Christine Clarke as our Chair and Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights. She has spent her career fighting for working people and using the law as a powerful tool to confront inequity. In the midst of an affordability crisis, Christine will ensure the Commission enforces the law to protect New Yorkers and helps build the city we deserve,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. 

 

“It is a privilege and an honor to join this administration — and to fight alongside the Mayor for a vision of a fairer, more equitable and affordable New York City,” said Christine Clarke, Chair of Commission on Human Rights. “I've spent my entire career fighting for working New Yorkers — because no matter where you were born, what language you speak, what religion you practice, whether you have a disability, your race or ethnicity — if you live here, you're a New Yorker. I promise that as the next Chair of the NYC Commission on Human Rights, I will work with you and fight for you to help make New York City a place where we can all survive and thrive.” 

 

“There is much more work to be done to make our city more equitable, just, and affordable, and I know with Christine Clarke as Chair of the Commission on Human Rights, New Yorkers have a dedicated ally who will fight for that vision of New York City. Economic justice includes the ability to participate fully in the life of the city whether you’re looking for a job or a place to live and I look forward to working with Christine to confront inequality and protect working New Yorkers," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. 

 

Christine Clarke is the Chief of Litigation and Advocacy and member of the executive team of the largest civil legal services organization in the country, Legal Services NYC — offering a vast array of legal services benefitting over 100,000 low-income New Yorkers each year. Clarke has fought, and won, countless legal battles for low-income New Yorkers, including helping secure language access rights for immigrant victims of domestic violence in encounters with the NYPD, access to life-saving housing subsidies for elderly and disabled New Yorkers after their head of household has died, access toyhh residential water services for elderly or disabled low-income homeowners, and language access for NYCHA tenants. 

 

Clarke’s passion for fighting oppression and injustice has been a driving force throughout her career. As the Director of LSNYC’s Civil Rights Justice Initiative until 2018, she worked on a range of civil rights matters including multiple lawsuits against the New York Police Department, NYC’s Department of Finance and NYC Housing Authority, which resulted in critical changes to policies and procedures, including better language access for immigrant and LEP New Yorkers.  

 

Clarke also recently served as a staff attorney at Planned Parenthood Federation of America where she challenged abortion bans in multiple states, helping keep health center doors open as long as possible to ensure people had a chance to make their own decisions about their lives and futures.  

 

She is a graduate of Oberlin College and Yale Law School, where she was a student editor of the Human Rights and Development Law Journal and a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. 


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