Since January 2025, over 250 attorneys—roughly 70%—have left, been reassigned, or accepted deferred resignation offers from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, signaling an unprecedented weakening of the agency responsible for enforcing federal civil rights law. This mass exodus follows the appointment of Trump ally Harmeet Dhillon, who has refocused the division’s priorities toward conservative causes such as voter fraud investigations and curbing transgender rights, while sidelining traditional civil rights enforcement in areas like housing discrimination, education, and police oversight.
Entire sections, including Voting Rights and Title VI enforcement, have been reduced to fewer than five attorneys—or none at all. Former DOJ officials warn that this undermines decades of institutional expertise and threatens the federal government’s capacity to uphold civil rights statutes. Critics also condemned Dhillon’s celebratory tone regarding the resignations and her remarks framing the former staff as ideologically driven rather than committed civil servants. Observers fear the administration will now fill these vacancies with politically loyal appointees, further eroding the division’s nonpartisan foundation.