Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani seems to have found a lever for his ideological agenda. New York City is an international city, he insists, and must answer to “international law.” He has argued that this amorphous concept should guide tax-exempt status for certain New York charities, that it should mandate the arrest of a certain head of state, and, most recently, that it should even dictate what is acceptable practice inside certain houses of worship. He invokes “international law” assuredly, as if he can magically turn global treaties into enforceable local ordinances.
Let’s start with the most basic point. There is no “international law” that binds New York City. In fact, what most activists call “international law” is a loose assortment of nonbinding resolutions, aspirational norms, and political declarations. None of these override the constitutional framework under which American cities operate. New York City is governed by the United States Constitution, federal statutes, state law, and its own municipal code. Federal law preempts state and local law (not the other way around) and nothing in that hierarchy is displaced by any external international regime. Yet Mamdani continues to invoke “international law” as if it somehow nullifies American sovereignty.
Comments