LDF Statement on Harmeet Dhillon Resignation

Read a PDF of our statement here.

Next Civil Rights Division head must demonstrate firm commitment to rule of law, proven track record of protecting civil rights

Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement on Harmeet Dhillon's resignation as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice:

"Harmeet Dhillon's tenure as the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has been an unmitigated disaster. The Division, long regarded as the 'crown jewel' of the Department, exists to protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of our society. Instead of upholding that important mandate, she substituted it with one of unfounded white grievance and partisan allegiance to Trump's anti-civil rights agenda. She limited voting rights for Black Americans, terminated police consent decrees in cities across the country, and dismissed dozens of school desegregation cases.

"In the face of such a perversion of the Division's mission, it is not surprising that career lawyers, many with decades of experience at the Department, have chosen to leave rather than participate in its dismantling. The loss of their expertise and knowledge will be felt for years.

"I urge Senators to exercise their constitutional responsibility to scrutinize the President's next nominee to lead the Division. That person should demonstrate a firm commitment to the rule of law and a proven track record of protecting civil rights. The Senate should not confirm another Trump acolyte who has no interest in upholding the Division's mission."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF's archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.