A New York City judge has ordered officials at City Hall to release their communications with the Rent Guidelines Board amid an investigation into whether the mayor influenced the board’s decision to implement a rent freeze. The order, issued Wednesday by Judge Brendan Lantry, seeks emails and text messages exchanged between city officials and the board members, who are generally considered independent.

The investigation centers on Mayor Mamdani’s pledge to voters to freeze rents, a promise that some have questioned given the board’s established autonomy in setting rent adjustments. Judge Lantry, a former chair of the Staten Island Republican Party, authorized a limited disclosure of behind-the-scenes communications to determine whether there was improper coordination between the mayor’s office and the Rent Guidelines Board.

“The question naturally arises: How would the mayor comply with his ‘guarantee’ to the voters to ‘freeze’ the rent unless he, or his staff, communicated with the board,” Lantry wrote in his ruling. The decision suggests concerns that the board may have acted on directives from the mayor’s office rather than independently evaluating rent policies.

The Rent Guidelines Board, responsible for setting rent adjustments for New York City’s rent-stabilized apartments, traditionally operates without direct influence from the mayor. Nonetheless, the judge’s order implies potential collaboration in advancing the rent freeze, a key campaign promise by Mamdani.

City officials have yet to comment on the ruling, and the Rent Guidelines Board has not publicly responded. The release of communications could shed light on the decision-making process behind the rent freeze and whether the board’s independence was compromised.