Harmeet Dhillon, California lawyer who transformed Trump's DOJ, resigns from role

Sharon Bernstein, The Sacramento Bee on Nov 5, 2026

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Harmeet Dhillon, the conservative California lawyer who became the face of the Trump administration’s use of the legal system to advance its aims in the culture wars, resigned Thursday as head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division.

Dhillon’s resignation marked the first high-profile departure from the Justice Department since the Republican administration’s drubbing in Tuesday’s midterm election.

“Serving you and your administration has been the greatest honor of my lifetime,” Dhillon wrote in a letter to President Donald Trump dated Thursday. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

Dhillon’s exit came two days after Democrats won sweeping victories in federal and statewide elections that will bring the party control of both houses of Congress after members are sworn in early next year.

She will return to her San Francisco law firm, Dhillon Law Group, Inc., her spokesman, Matt Shupe, said.

During her roughly 18 months on the job, Dhillon transformed the Civil Rights Division and shifted its mission to anti-wokeness, filing lawsuits to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at universities, ending supports for transgender students at school and establishing a Second Amendment division aimed at protecting gun rights.

Dhillon investigated the University of California over admissions policies she said discriminated against white applicants and sued the system for allegedly allowing hostile work environments for Jewish professors in the wake of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

Dhillon also oversaw the federal government’s efforts to send poll-watchers to election locations in all 50 states, actions her department said were meant to protect the integrity of the elections, but which leaders in California and other Democratic-leaning states viewed as voter intimidation.

In her resignation letter, Dhillon said had been planning to resign for several weeks, and had told Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, as much in early October.

“I wasn’t asked to resign,” Dhillon said in a Fox News Digital interview, according to a post by Shupe on the social media platform X. “I resigned three weeks ago, and Susie asked me to please wait until after the midterms.”

In her letter, Dhillon recounted her achievements, which she said were historical.

Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed Dhillon’s resignation in a post on X.

“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. “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, who was born in India and lived in London as well as New York and rural North Carolina, attended Dartmouth College, editing the Dartmouth Review, according to her official biography. She attended law school at the University of Virginia.

After moving to the West Coast, Dhillon became a powerful conservative voice, serving as vice chair of the California Republican Party and a member of the Republican National Committee.

Her tenure at the Justice Department won praise from the White House on Thursday.

“Harmeet Dhillon has done a fantastic job as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights boldly protecting Americans’ civil liberties, and we are very grateful for her dedicated service at the Department of Justice,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in an email to The Sacramento Bee.

Bis did not say who would be tapped to replace Dhillon at the Justice Department.

Her time at the agency was also lauded by the conservative legal group she founded, the Center for American Liberty, which cited her transformation of the Civil Rights division.

“Her stellar achievements will leave a lasting impact on civil rights in America and at the US Department of Justice,” said the group’s CEO, Mark Trammell. “We’re confident that she’s far from done.”

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