The U.S. Senate, led by Republicans, confirmed conservative attorney Harmeet Dhillon on Thursday as the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The final tally was 52-45, with most Republicans backing the decision and just one Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, joining Democrats in opposition.
In her new position, Dhillon will be responsible for overseeing a wide range of civil and criminal matters, including prosecutions related to hate crimes, litigation on voting rights, and the evaluation of law enforcement departments for patterns of discriminatory practices.
The confirmation is part of a broader reorientation of the Civil Rights Division under the leadership of President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump’s team has already significantly altered the division’s personnel structure and redirected its focus. Several senior officials from the division were reassigned to a newly established office focused primarily on immigration issues, particularly investigations into so-called “sanctuary cities.”
One of the major shifts under Trump’s Justice Department has been the halting of efforts to secure legally binding settlements with police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville. These settlements were intended to address civil rights violations following the high-profile police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Both incidents had spurred nationwide protests and civil unrest. However, rather than pursuing federal reforms through the courts, the department decided to step back from these negotiations.
In a more recent move that surprised many legal experts, the department launched a civil rights probe into the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The investigation is aimed at determining whether the agency has been infringing on people’s Second Amendment rights, which protect the right to bear arms. This development marked an unprecedented instance of the Civil Rights Division invoking constitutional gun rights as the basis for a federal civil rights inquiry.
Harmeet Dhillon has been a vocal advocate for conservative causes and a prominent supporter of President Trump. She is the founder of the Center for American Liberty, an organization described as far-right by critics. The nonprofit has positioned itself as a counterbalance to traditional civil rights organizations and has taken legal action in high-profile cases involving free speech, religious liberty, and opposition to diversity initiatives.
At her Senate confirmation hearing, Dhillon voiced strong support for the Trump administration’s stance against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, commonly referred to as DEI. She asserted that such policies, whether implemented by government bodies or private sector companies, are not only problematic but unlawful. “Illegal and unconstitutional,” Dhillon said, characterizing DEI programs as contrary to the American legal tradition.
The Center for American Liberty, under Dhillon’s leadership, describes itself as a defender of individuals who have been ignored by mainstream civil rights advocacy. According to the organization, it aims to represent Americans who have been, in their view, “left behind” by established groups such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
In announcing her nomination, President Trump praised Dhillon for her consistent efforts to safeguard constitutional freedoms. “Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
However, Dhillon’s appointment did not go unchallenged. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee opposing her nomination. The letter highlighted concerns about her previous legal and political work, particularly her involvement in efforts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
“Her work supporting President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, her vitriolic crusade against the transgender community, her staunch opposition to reproductive freedom, and her work protecting men accused of sexual harassment paint a disturbing picture of the kind of work we can expect from the Civil Rights Division if Ms. Dhillon is confirmed,” the letter read.
Critics argue that Dhillon’s appointment could signal a shift away from traditional civil rights enforcement and toward a more ideologically driven agenda. Her record includes representing clients in cases challenging corporate DEI policies and defending religious groups who felt they were unfairly restricted during pandemic lockdowns.
Earlier the same day, the Senate also confirmed another Trump ally, Dean John Sauer, to a top legal position in the Justice Department. Sauer was confirmed in a 52-45 vote strictly along party lines to become the Solicitor General. In this role, he will serve as the Justice Department’s chief advocate before the Supreme Court, responsible for defending the federal government’s legal positions in major constitutional and federal law cases.
Sauer, like Dhillon, has a strong background in conservative legal circles and was involved in high-profile cases during Trump’s presidency. His confirmation adds to the list of loyal Trump affiliates placed in influential legal roles, a trend that has drawn both criticism and praise depending on partisan perspectives.
While supporters of the two appointments argue that Dhillon and Sauer represent a long-overdue rebalancing of civil liberties, opponents warn that the Justice Department could lose its focus on protecting vulnerable communities and upholding longstanding civil rights precedents.
The Senate’s confirmation of Dhillon marks a pivotal moment for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, as it continues to navigate politically charged issues ranging from police accountability and racial discrimination to gun rights and freedom of speech.
Both appointments underscore the lasting influence of Trump’s judicial and legal strategy, which has aimed to reshape the federal government’s approach to constitutional rights, particularly in areas where traditional interpretations have favored progressive social policies. With Dhillon and Sauer now confirmed, those priorities are likely to remain prominent in the department’s operations for the foreseeable future.
