Who is Harmeet Dhillon? Trump-appointed civil rights chief resigns after Republican midterm losses

Harmeet Dhillon, who served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), has resigned following the Republican Party's losses in the midterm elections. Dhillon was nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2024 and confirmed by the Senate on April 3, 2025. Her departure marks the first resignation of a senior DOJ official following the Democrats' victories in the midterm elections.

According to a Bloomberg Law report, Dhillon's resignation comes amid expectations of multiple departures during the lame-duck period before the end of the year, as political appointees reassess their positions. As per the report, she is the second Senate-confirmed DOJ official to depart in recent weeks after Patrick Davis' resignation from the Office of Legislative Affairs in October.

During her tenure in DOJ, Dhillon oversaw a sweeping overhaul of the Justice Department’s civil rights unit, shifting its focus from combating discrimination against racial minorities and investigating local police to Trump priorities around gun rights and combating antisemitism on college campuses. Dhillon played a leading role in the Trump administration's investigations of elite US universities.

Who is Harmeet Dhillon?

Harmeet Dhillon is an Indian-American lawyer, former Republican Party official and campaign lawyer for Donald Trump. Before joining the Justice Department, she built a career in private legal practice.

She founded Dhillon Law Group in 2006. According to her profile on the Justice Department's website, the firm has offices in California, Florida, Virginia and New Jersey.

She also founded the Center for American Liberty, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to pursuing civil liberties-related legal claims.

Her notable cases include a legal challenge against the University of California, Berkeley, over its free speech policy and another against an Antifa organisation over an assault on a conservative journalist.

She also brought legal challenges against several states over their restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic and against major technology companies over various civil rights issues.

Harmeet Dhillon's early life and education

Dhillon was born in Chandigarh, India, and lived in London before moving to The Bronx, New York. Her family eventually settled in rural Smithfield, North Carolina.

After graduating from high school at the age of 16, Dhillon attended Dartmouth College, where she became editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth Review.

After earning a bachelor's degree in Classical Studies, she attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review.

She subsequently clerked for Judge Paul V. Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Baltimore, Maryland.