Harmeet Dhillon Resigns as Justice Department Civil Rights Chief

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on November 5 that he had accepted Harmeet Dhillon’s resignation as assistant attorney general for civil rights, confirming her departure from the Justice Department after about 18 months leading its Civil Rights Division. The announcement came two days after the midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. Dhillon told Fox News she had submitted her resignation three weeks earlier and had not been asked to leave. She said White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles asked her to wait until after the midterms before announcing it. Dhillon said she wanted to return to private practice. Her spokesman, Matt Shupe, said she would return to Dhillon Law Group, the firm she founded. Blanche’s public statement accepted the resignation and praised Dhillon’s service but did not specify her final day in office or identify a successor. Dhillon, who was confirmed to the post in April 2025, led a major change in the division’s enforcement priorities. Her office placed greater emphasis on matters including gun rights, religious liberty, alleged antisemitism on college campuses, university admissions and election-related...