Harmeet Dhillon resigned Thursday as assistant attorney general for civil rights, according to sources who spoke to Fox News. She is the first senior Justice Department official reported to leave since Democrats won the House and Senate. Former officials said other appointees may depart before the year ends.
Harmeet Dhillon resigned Thursday as the Department of Justice's assistant attorney general for civil rights, according to sources who spoke to Fox News. Bloomberg reported that Dhillon, who oversaw the Civil Rights Division, planned to step down. Bloomberg also reported that an official announcement could come as soon as Thursday.
Timing tied to the midterms
Dhillon is leaving after Trump's Republican Party lost the House and Senate in this week's midterm elections. Her exit is the first by a senior Justice Department official since Democrats won control of both chambers on Tuesday. Her resignation comes amid expected personnel shakeups at the top levels of the Trump administration. Bloomberg Law reported that Dhillon had told allies she would leave once the midterms were over, according to four people familiar with her plans. Two of those people said her announcement was expected as soon as Thursday. She reportedly also told colleagues she would leave the department after the midterms.
More departures expected
Former officials told Bloomberg Law the department expects several other senior political appointees to leave before the end of the year. They said the department is bracing for multiple exits in the lame duck period before the New Year. Dhillon would be the second Senate-confirmed DOJ official to depart in recent weeks, after Patrick Davis resigned from the Office of Legislative Affairs last month.
Her tenure at the Civil Rights Division
Dhillon was confirmed by the Senate in April 2025. The Civil Rights Division shifted toward conservative causes under her, including religious liberties and the formation of a Second Amendment section. It also pursued cases involving voter rolls, immigration and alleged antisemitism on college campuses. Career attorneys left the division, and Dhillon then recruited dozens of new attorneys with conservative advocacy backgrounds for that litigation.
Plans after government service
Dhillon told Bloomberg reporters and editors in August that she intended to return to her California firm, Dhillon Law Group, after her time at the department. She previously said she intended to return to private practice after government service. The firm, which she founded, focuses on civil rights, free speech and election law.
