City Council confirms Mamdani’s nominee to head Law Department

By Isabella Gallo Posted on February 13, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pick to head the city’s Law Department was confirmed by the New York City Council after promising to be a lawyer for the entire city, not just the mayor, at his confirmation hearing last week.

Steven Banks, who served as the city’s “homelessness czar” at the city’s Department of Homeless Services under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, is set to return to City Hall after being confirmed Thursday via a 42-6 City Council vote, with one abstention.