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DOJ Civil Rights Chief Dhillon resigns after Democrats' midterm wins
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Harmeet Dhillon resigned as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, becoming the first senior DOJ official to step down after Democrats' sweeping midterm victories. Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed on X that he accepted her resignation, praising her 18 months of service. Dhillon, a staunch Trump ally confirmed in April 2025, transformed the division toward conservative priorities including religious liberties and a new Second Amendment section, recruiting dozens of conservative attorneys after a career-staff exodus. Sources said she had told allies she would leave after the midterms. Former officials expect more political appointees to depart during the lame duck period. Dhillon previously indicated she planned to return to her California law firm, Dhillon Law Group, which her brother has managed in her absence.
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Harmeet Dhillon stepped down from her role leading the Justice Department's civil rights unit, marking the first senior DOJ official to resign following Democrats' massive midterm wins.
Dhillon, who has vastly transformed the Civil Rights Division since her Senate confirmation in April 2025, had told allies that she would be leaving the department after the midterm elections, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Blanche Confirms Resignation
Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed in a post on X that he accepted Dhillon's resignation. He credited her with leading the division "with conviction the past 18 months."
"She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor," Blanche said. "The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors."
A Transformed Civil Rights Division
The staunch Trump ally leaves behind a Civil Rights Division that has shifted toward conservative causes, including religious liberties and the formation of a Second Amendment section. Following the mass exodus of career attorneys from the division, she recruited dozens of new attorneys with backgrounds steeped in conservative advocacy to work on litigation over state voter rolls, immigration, and alleged antisemitism on college campuses.
Further Departures Expected
Former officials said the department is bracing for multiple other top political appointees to exit in the lame duck period before the New Year. Dhillon would be the second Senate-confirmed DOJ official to depart in recent weeks, following Patrick Davis' resignation from the Office of Legislative Affairs last month.
Return to Private Practice
Dhillon, a former Republican Party official and campaign lawyer for President Donald Trump, previously indicated in an August roundtable interview with Bloomberg reporters and editors that she planned to return to her California-based law firm, Dhillon Law Group, following her tenure at DOJ.
The firm, which has been managed by her brother Mandeep Singh Dhillon in her absence, is now much smaller than it once was, Dhillon said at the time.
"In terms of private practice, when the president is done with me, I loved being a lawyer in private practice," Dhillon said, adding that she planned to take what she learned from her time at DOJ and "continue to help plaintiffs."
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Harmeet Dhillon resigns as DOJ Civil Rights chief after Democrats' midterm wins