Harmeet Dhillon resigns as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division

WASHINGTON (Nov. 5) — Harmeet Dhillon resigned Thursday as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Attorney General Todd Blanche said, NPR reported. Dhillon is the first senior department official to leave since Democrats won control of the House and Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to NPR and The Washington Post.

"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, NPR reported. "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."

Dhillon told Fox News Digital that she decided weeks before the midterms to leave and return to private practice, and that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles asked her to wait until after Election Day. "I wasn't asked to resign," Dhillon said. "I resigned three weeks ago, and Susie asked me to please wait until after the midterms." She formally submitted her resignation on Nov. 5, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump nominated Dhillon in December 2024, and she was sworn in in April 2025 after Senate confirmation, Fox News reported. During her roughly 19-month tenure, the Civil Rights Division's priorities shifted toward issues including DEI and race-conscious policies, religious discrimination, transgender participation in women's sports, Second Amendment rights and election integrity, according to Fox News. Roughly 300 attorneys left the division during Trump's second term, NPR and Fox News reported, while Dhillon said she recruited more than 130 lawyers.

"We changed it, and that's what we came here to do. And it's done," Dhillon told Fox News Digital. Asked about a possible congressional subpoena after she leaves, she said she would take legal advice and follow it.