Harmeet Dhillon has resigned from the Justice Department, becoming one of the first high-ranking officials in Donald Trump’s administration to leave following Republicans’ major losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
Fox News reported Thursday that Dhillon resigned as assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, citing sources familiar with the departure. Her exit comes after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, creating a significant political setback for Trump and congressional Republicans.
Dhillon was nominated by Trump in December 2024 and confirmed by the Senate on April 3, 2025. She was sworn into her position four days later, taking charge of one of the Justice Department’s most influential divisions.
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During her tenure, Dhillon oversaw a significant shift in the division’s priorities, moving away from several traditional civil rights enforcement efforts while expanding investigations and legal actions involving religious liberty, alleged antisemitism on college campuses, gun rights and election policies.
The Civil Rights Division is responsible for enforcing federal laws that protect Americans against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, national origin and other protected characteristics. Its work includes voting rights enforcement, investigating police misconduct, addressing housing discrimination and protecting equal access to employment and education.
Dhillon’s leadership brought substantial changes to how the division approached those responsibilities.
An October investigation by NPR documented the departure of hundreds of longtime attorneys and changes to the division’s enforcement priorities. Former and current officials interviewed by NPR raised concerns about the direction of the office and the experience of some newly recruited attorneys.
Dhillon defended her record, telling NPR that the division had worked to hold universities accountable for antisemitic harassment, protect religious freedom and safeguard federal elections.
Her tenure also included an aggressive push into election-related investigations. In the weeks leading up to the midterms, Dhillon defended the Trump administration’s efforts to investigate alleged noncitizen voting.
During an appearance on CBS’ 60 Minutes, she defended those investigations after host Lesley Stahl questioned whether the administration’s actions could undermine public confidence in elections.
Reuters separately reported that Dhillon was among the first high-ranking Trump administration officials preparing to depart following the Republican Party’s election losses. Bloomberg Law also reported that she had told allies she planned to leave the department.
Her departure leaves questions about who will lead the Civil Rights Division and whether the next assistant attorney general will maintain the priorities established under her leadership or redirect the department toward different enforcement objectives.
For Black Americans and other communities that have historically relied on federal civil rights protections, the division’s next leadership appointment could have implications for voting rights, workplace discrimination, housing protections and federal oversight of law enforcement.
The Justice Department had not publicly announced a successor in the reporting available Thursday. Its online leadership profile also continued to list Dhillon as assistant attorney general at the time of publication.
The departure marks another leadership change inside Trump’s administration as Republicans face the political consequences of the midterm elections and Democrats prepare to take control of Congress.
