Harmeet Dhillon, controversial head of DoJ’s civil rights division, steps down

Key Points:

• Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump ally and head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, resigned after 18 months, marking the first high-ranking DOJ departure following the midterm elections that gave Democrats control of Congress.
• During her tenure, Dhillon shifted the division's focus away from protecting minority civil rights, dropping many discrimination cases and prompting an exodus of career civil rights lawyers.
• Dhillon pursued claims of discrimination against minorities in university admissions and antisemitism investigations, though a whistleblower alleged these investigations had predetermined outcomes.
• The division under Dhillon faced several high-profile legal losses, including unsuccessful lawsuits against over two dozen states for voter roll information, despite some judges ruling against the DOJ being Trump appointees.
• Dhillon's leadership was widely criticized by former DOJ lawyers for undermining the division's mission, and her public conduct on social media, including revealing investigations and using offensive language, raised concerns about professionalism.