Head of Justice Department office on Civil Rights resigns
Harmeet Dhillon has resigned as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division following an 18-month tenure marked by significant ideological shifts. Her departure follows the recent shift in control of the U.S. Congress.
Why it matters
The resignation signals a potential pivot in the enforcement priorities of the U.S. federal government regarding civil rights and administrative policy.
The head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, is out after 18 tumultuous months in charge.
Dhillon is the first senior department official to depart the Trump administration since Democrats retook control of the House and Senate in midterm elections.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announce Dhillon's departure on X.
"Today, I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division with conviction the past 18 months. She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor. The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors," he wrote.
During her tenure Dhillion radically reshaped the Civil Rights Division, pushing out roughly 300 attorneys, hiring inexperienced ideological allies to replace them and using the division's enforcement powers to advance President Trump's MAGA agenda.
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