Corruption & Accountability · Report · File No. 261105-133
Justice Department civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon resigns after midterms
Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division since April 2025, stepped down Thursday, the first senior DOJ departure after Democrats' midterm sweep. Her tenure focused on noncitizen-voting investigations and a shift away from traditional civil rights priorities.
12 of 15 paragraphs and bullets link directly to a source. The sources are listed at the bottom. How we work
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general leading the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, resigned Thursday, according to Fox News, in the first major departure from the Trump administration after Tuesday's midterm losses for Republicans 1.
Bloomberg Law reported that Dhillon planned to step down, making her the first senior DOJ official to resign following Democrats' midterm wins 2. She had told allies she would leave after the elections, according to four people familiar with the matter 2.
Dhillon has led the Civil Rights Division since her Senate confirmation in April 2025 2. Before joining the administration, she was a Republican Party official, an attorney for Trump's campaign, and founder of the California-based Dhillon Law Group 1.
Her tenure marked a significant change in the division's priorities, emphasizing religious liberty, Second Amendment issues, state voter rolls, immigration, and antisemitism on university campuses 1. The division also saw a substantial departure of career attorneys, while Dhillon recruited lawyers with conservative advocacy backgrounds 1.
From Channel GOPTrump on pardoning officials: "I'd be allowed toDonald Trump · 201 plays · captioned, with the source named
Dhillon had defended efforts to investigate alleged noncitizen voters, which faced lawsuits and state efforts to keep federal officials away 1. The division under her leadership also formed a Second Amendment section and pursued litigation over state voter rolls and immigration 2.
In an August roundtable with Bloomberg reporters and editors, Dhillon indicated she planned to return to her law firm after her time at DOJ 2.
Former officials said the department is bracing for multiple other top political appointees to exit in the lame duck period before the New Year 2. Dhillon would be the second Senate-confirmed DOJ official to depart in recent weeks, following Patrick Davis's resignation from the Office of Legislative Affairs last month 2.
The resignation comes after Democrats' midterm wins on Tuesday. That matters because the Civil Rights Division is the agency that enforces federal voting rights law, and its leadership change could affect how the department handles pending cases and investigations.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment Thursday afternoon 1. Dhillon and DOJ spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment 2.
The Record
- Harmeet Dhillon is confirmed by the Senate to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division 2.
- Dhillon tells Bloomberg reporters and editors she plans to return to her California law firm after her DOJ tenure 2.
- Democrats win sweeping midterm victories 12.
- Dhillon resigns as assistant attorney general for civil rights, the first major post-midterm departure from the Trump administration 12.
Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter
Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.
Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.
Sources
- Newsweek, “Trump Sees First Post-Midterm Resignation as Harmeet Dhillon Exits: Report” (2026-11-05). newsweek.com/donald-trump-first-post-midterm-resignation-har
- news.bloomberglaw.com, “Dhillon Plans DOJ Civil Rights Exit After Democrats’ Sweep (1)” (2026-11-05). news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/justice-departme
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
Trump administration subpoenas records on tens of thousands of voters before Nov. 3
Reuters found more than 100 federal subpoenas seeking voter records in at least a dozen states, many of them tied to grand juries. The hunt for noncitizen voters is coming days before an election where close results could be challenged.
Election Day runs mostly smoothly despite federal monitors and legal fights
Millions voted Tuesday with few major problems, even as the Justice Department deployed about 1,000 monitors and courts weighed last-minute challenges. Michigan officials said some federal monitors overstepped.
Judge blocks Trump officials from sending 'noncitizen' voter lists to states
Hours before polls opened, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan barred the Justice and Homeland Security departments from sending election officials lists of voters they called likely noncitizens. She found the lists may be unreliable and could cost eligible citizens their votes.
Delivered free to your door*
The Morning Edition
One short email at 7 a.m. Eastern: the day's top files, one clip worth your time, and the race to watch. Plain English, large type, no clutter.
*Your inbox. Free. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.