Former RPJ Colleague Christine Clarke Chosen as Mayor Mamdani’s Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights

RPJ congratulates Christine Clarke on her appointment as Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

As Chair, Clarke is charged with defending the rights of New Yorkers and enforcing New York City Human Rights Law, one of the most comprehensive series of civil rights laws in the nation.  Clarke is also committed to promoting public education on civil rights, so every New Yorker knows their rights.  Clarke will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice, Julie Su.

Clarke arrives to City Hall from Legal Services NYC, whereas Chief of Litigation and Advocacy, she focused on defending the civil rights of New Yorkers.  In this role, she represented low-income New Yorkers in matters involving fair housing, employment discrimination, due process, and language access.  Her career has been defined by such commitment, spanning years of work and advocacy.

Ms. Clarke’s path is one we are particularly proud of here at RPJ, where she previously focused on providing advice to businesses, as well as individuals, as well as litigation and alternate dispute resolution.

Her appointment has already garnered well-deserved recognition, including recent coverage in the Gothamist, which highlighted both her appointment and her long-standing work on civil rights in an article titled Here’s what to know about Mayor Mamdani’s human rights pick.  In the piece, Mayor Mamdani is quoted describing Clarke: “She has dedicated her life to fighting for working people, from factory workers to small business owners to immigrants planning their roots.”

We could not be more excited to see Clarke bring her experience, integrity, and leadership to City Hall, and take pride in having worked with Clarke as a colleague.  We look forward to the impact she will undoubtedly make in advancing human rights across New York City.

To read the Gothamist article covering Ms. Clarke, click here.