After radical reshape of justice department civil rights division, harmeet dhillon resigns

Departure and stated plans

Dhillon announced her resignation in a social media post, saying she had served as assistant attorney general since her confirmation last year. She described the role as “the honor of a lifetime,” according to her post.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dhillon said she had decided to leave weeks earlier and that the White House asked her to remain until after the elections. She said she had not been asked to resign and wanted to return to the private sector.

A division transformed

Dhillon’s leadership shifted the direction of a division established during the Civil Rights Movement to protect minority rights. More than three quarters of the unit’s workforce at the start of Trump’s second term have since left; Dhillon called it the “biggest single personnel self-purge in DOJ history.” The division abandoned police reform settlements and investigations, and opened probes into universities over diversity policies, admissions and campus antisemitism. Its pressure campaign produced numerous settlements, and the president of the University of Virginia resigned in one case. Dhillon also led efforts to obtain detailed voter records from states, despite repeated court losses.

Praise and sharp criticism

Attorney General Todd Blanche praised Dhillon’s leadership, saying she acted with “conviction” and defended civil liberties while enforcing the law. He wrote that the department was grateful for her service and wished her well.

Former division attorney Stacey Young, who leads a network of Justice Department alumni, condemned Dhillon’s tenure. Young said the division had brought civil rights laws into effect for almost 70 years and accused Dhillon of decimating it.

Background in conservative politics

Born in India, Dhillon immigrated to the United States as a child with her Sikh family. Before joining the Justice Department, she was active in conservative legal and political circles as a California lawyer.

Her cases included challenging California’s stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic and suing over the state’s voter registration citizenship checks. She ran for Republican National Committee chair but lost to Ronna McDaniel in January 2023. Dhillon and her law firm also represented Trump in connection with a House committee subpoena related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.