Harmeet Dhillon, the leader of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, resigned from her role on Thursday following the midterm showdown that gave Democrats both chambers of Congress.
The move was first reported by Bloomberg Law, the outlet citing four sources “familiar” with the matter. According to those individuals, the former campaign lawyer for President Donald Trump had already told her allies that she would be exiting the DOJ after the November 3 elections.
The official announcement came in the afternoon, and Attorney General Todd Blanche stated he had accepted Dhillon’s resignation:
“Today, I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division with conviction the past 18 months,” Blanche wrote on X. “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.”
Since she started the job in April 2025, Dhillon’s division sued various states and municipalities over unconstitutional restrictions on firearms, went after large companies for discriminating against Americans in their hiring processes, and sued California in an effort to keep transgender-identified males off girls’ sports teams.
Dhillon makes the second Senate-confirmed DOJ official to leave in the last few weeks, following Patrick Davis, the department’s top liaison to Capitol Hill, who left the Office of Legislative Affairs towards the end of October.
Unnamed former DOJ officials told Bloomberg Law that the department is bracing for more departures, with other top appointees expected to resign before the new year.
During an interview with Bloomberg in August Dhillon indicated that she planned to return to her California-based firm, Dhillon Law Group, following her time at the DOJ.
She has yet to make a public statement on her resignation.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
