Justice Department civil rights division shifts focus under Harmeet Dhillon

Harmeet Dhillon took charge of the US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division after President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025.

The division was created nearly 70 years ago to enforce civil rights protections in areas such as voting, housing, education and policing.

Dhillon says its work had focused too narrowly on people of color, and she has redirected its priorities.

Current and former officials say hundreds of longtime attorneys have left and many replacements are inexperienced allies.

The division has dropped investigations and taken up cases involving voter information, university admissions and alleged antisemitism on campuses.

State election officials have challenged its requests for voter data, and judges have dismissed more than two dozen of its lawsuits.

A federal judge also dismissed its lawsuit against Harvard, finding the alleged antisemitism too isolated to establish a civil rights violation.

The division continues to pursue its new priorities under Dhillon’s leadership.