A judge in Staten Island has issued a temporary block on a controversial plan championed by New York City Council member Zohran Mamdani. The initiative, which sought to impose a new tax on second homes valued at over $5 million, is now on hold pending further legal review. Judge Wayne Ozzi, a Democrat serving on the state’s Supreme Court, presided over the case and issued the injunction.

In addition to halting the tax rollout, the court order requires the city to remove a public list that identified more than 900,000 properties. While the tax proposal was intended to generate revenue by targeting luxury real estate holdings, the legal challenge has effectively frozen the program's progress. The ruling highlights the ongoing tension between local legislative efforts to address housing affordability and the legal protections afforded to property owners. As of now, the city must comply with the order to take down the database, which had been a central component of the administration's transparency efforts regarding the tax plan. The legal battle is expected to continue as both sides prepare for further arguments regarding the constitutionality and implementation of the tax.