By Sohaib Shams
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, submitted her resignation on Thursday, two days after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on X that he accepted her resignation, praising her defense of civil liberties and dedicated public service.
Controversial tenure
During her leadership, the Civil Rights Division pursued aggressive legal actions aligned with Trump administration priorities. The division filed lawsuits alleging discrimination at elite universities, declined to open a use-of-force investigation into an ICE officer who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota, and sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., to obtain voter registration lists before the election — with federal judges dismissing 27 of those cases. Dhillon also brought a criminal case against former CNN journalist Don Lemon and protesters over a church demonstration in Minnesota under a statute historically used to protect reproductive rights facilities.
Post-election plans
Dhillon is scheduled to speak at the Donald Trump Ballroom at the Mar-a-Lago Club during the Conservative Political Action Committee’s Circle Retreat and Gala on Thursday. She was a frequent presence on conservative media ahead of the elections, promoting the division’s work.
Criticism from civil rights groups
Stacey Young, executive director of Justice Connection, called Dhillon “the most destructive, lawless, and hateful head of the Civil Rights Division in DOJ history,” accusing her of weaponizing the department against universities, state officials, and election workers. Kristen Clarke, NAACP general counsel and former chief of the division under the Biden administration, said Dhillon abdicated her responsibility to enforce federal civil rights laws, purged staff, and targeted institutions for partisan goals. Both urged the incoming Senate to ensure the next assistant attorney general restores the division’s mandate.
