Message from Commissioner & Chief Administrative Law Judge Asim Rehman

It’s my pleasure to welcome you to OATH’s website. For 40 years, OATH has been New York City’s central, independent tribunal, and our mission is to ensure that everyone who appears before us receives both a fair opportunity to be heard and a timely resolution of their case.

Given the range and volume of matters that come before OATH, we are one of the busiest tribunals in the country. OATH’s Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers adjudicate a broad assortment of matters involving the City and its laws. In our Trials Division, OATH’s Administrative Law Judges manage caseloads that include employee discipline and disability hearings for civil servants, Conflicts of Interest Board and City Human Rights Commission cases, proceedings related to the retention of seized vehicles by the police, and more. In our Hearings Division, we conduct hearings on summonses issued by 25 different City enforcement agencies for alleged violations of law or City rules. And in our new Special Education Hearings Division, we provide due process hearings for parents seeking to challenge DOE decisions relating to the adequacy of the special education services offered to their child or parents seeking tuition reimbursement for the costs of a private education that provides their child with necessary services. We also provide City agencies and the public with training, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution services at our Center for Creative Conflict Resolution.

As someone who has worked in government oversight and has spent years focusing on institutional integrity, what is most important to me is OATH’s independence. Although we are part of city government, we are separate from the city agencies who appear before us. That separation allows us to reach independent and unbiased conclusions in cases filed with OATH. As a result, whether OATH upholds an agency’s decision or dismisses it, the decision is always the product of an independent and thoughtful review that is based on the law and the facts. It gives me great pride when I hear about someone who had a case at OATH and, regardless of the result, walked away feeling that they were given a fair shot.

You can learn more about OATH by visiting the pages on this website. And if you still have questions about OATH’s processes, feel free to contact our Help Center.

About the Commissioner & Chief Administrative Law Judge

Asim Rehman was appointed the OATH Commissioner & Chief Administrative Law Judge in March 2022. In that capacity he is the steward of OATH and its mission to provide impartial, fair, just, and timely decisions to all parties who appear before it.

Commissioner Rehman brings to OATH over two decades of legal, management, and oversight experience from both the public and private sector. He began his career as a law clerk to a Federal District Court Judge in lower Manhattan, and worked as an attorney with two law firms where he handled complex litigation, white-collar criminal defense, internal and government investigation, anti-corruption matters, and a broad range of pro bono cases. During this time he also served as Special Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn. Commissioner Rehman later worked as Corporate Counsel for a major corporation where he litigated a variety of domestic matters, assisted the company with regulatory compliance, and helped manage the company’s overseas litigation.

In 2014, following the passage of the Community Safety Act, Commissioner Rehman joined city service as the inaugural General Counsel of the newly opened Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD (OIG-NYPD) within the NYC Department of Investigation. As a member of OIG-NYPD’s executive team, helped build the office from the ground up, established the office’s legal function, liaised with government agencies, and supervised a variety of systemic investigations of the NYPD. He was subsequently promoted to First Deputy Inspector General. In 2020, Commissioner Rehman joined the NYC Law Department as Chief of Staff where supervised complex litigation, worked closely with partner agencies, helped the Law Department advise the City on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and assisted the Corporation Counsel with the overall management of the Law Department. In September 2021, Commissioner Rehman joined the NYC Department of Correction as General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters.

Commissioner Rehman has held volunteer leadership positions with several organizations and is a strong supporter of civic and community engagement. He has testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, has lectured overseas at the invitation of the U.S. Department of State, and is the recipient of the SABANY Corporate Leadership Award, the NAPABA “Best Lawyers Under 40” Award, and the New York City Bar Association Diversity & Inclusion Champion award.

Commissioner Rehman is a graduate of Haverford College and the University of Michigan Law School.