Harmeet Dhillon confirmed to head DOJ civil rights division

One of the nation’s foremost experts on civil rights, Indian American Harmeet Dhillon, was confirmed by the US Senate on Apr.3 to head the powerful Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

A former California Republican Party leader, Dhillon was confirmed by the Senate by 52-45 votes to be an assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The voting was along party lines. Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was the sole GOP member to vote against her.

She is considered to be a fearless long-term defender of constitutional rights, and she has decades of litigation experience in civil rights advocacy. “There is no greater time to be alive and to be an American than today,” she told lawmakers during her confirmation hearing on Feb.26.

“The Department of Justice stands for justice for all Americans. My parents crossed two oceans to bring me as a small child to America. We as a family are Americans by choice and I can think of no higher honor as a lawyer than to be charged with defending and advancing the civil rights of all American citizens,” Dhillon said.

During her confirmation hearing, Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she is an example of what is great about America. “You’re one of the nation’s foremost experts on civil rights. Your journey started a long way from here, when your family immigrated from India,” he said.

Dhillon went to Dartmouth at the age of 16, and then went to law school at the University of Virginia. At the age of two, she immigrated to the US with her parents.

“Throughout your career, you’ve never shied away from unpopular but just causes. You served as the Director of an ACLU chapter after 9/11, a group many on my side are often skeptical of. You also started your own law firm and founded a non-profit. You’ve litigated some of the most important cases on free speech, religious liberty, voting rights and discrimination,” Grassley said.

Grassley said she has fought for everyone to be treated equally. “You fought against colleges shutting down free speech for political reasons, against states restricting freedom of worship and against big tech companies engaged in censorship. You’ve won many victories defending freedom and our constitutional rights,” he said.

“You’re an immigrant, a religious minority, a woman, a business owner, a civil rights leader, an accomplished lawyer, and, I’ve learned, an excellent knitter. You’re an example of what is great about America,” said the top American Senator.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who is also Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposed her nomination. Dhillon and her law firm have represented President Donald Trump as an individual and his campaigns on numerous occasions, earning more than $8 million in legal fees, he alleged.

However, Dhillon has refuted these allegations.

“I have represented President Trump for four years in numerous different cases and I currently represent him as a private attorney and in all of those years in multiple cases in multiple jurisdictions. The President has never asked me to do anything that I found to be objectionable, immoral unlawful or illegal,” she told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing on Feb.26.

Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah has described her as one of the nation’s most respected attorneys, known for her unwavering commitment to justice, free speech, civil rights, and election integrity.

“She litigates complex cases with precision and takes on powerful institutions with fearless dedication to her clients. Harmeet championed government accountability, election integrity and civil liberties,” Lee said in her confirmation hearing.

Lee said as a true leader in the Sikh community, she has fought against post 9/11 discrimination and religious intolerance, ensuring that no one is denied their basic rights based on their faith, Lee said. “She leads with integrity, fearlessness and an unshakable belief in the rule of law and the importance of sticking with the Constitution,” he said.

Lee said Harmeet Dhillon truly is an inspiration she embodies the traits and the characteristics that are needed to help her succeed in this new role to which she’s been appointed. Her career reflects the conviction and the relentless unapologetic pursuit of justice no matter the cost.

Responding to questions during her confirmation hearing, Dhillon told Senators that the US is having a problem throughout the country not just on the basis of race in universities but also religion.

“We’ve seen anti-Semitism sweep the nation and it is very problematic that many people of the Jewish faith are barred by professors and fellow students from access to the classroom. So yes, in addition to race, I would see religious discrimination and other forms of discrimination on campuses as an appropriate target for the Civil Rights Division,” she said.

During her confirmation hearing, Dhillon told Senators that her faith itself teaches first openness to all respect for all and protecting the defenseless that is those are among the tenets of the Sikh faith. “And so that is why you see so many six volunteering in war torn areas and doing relief work around the world,” she said.

“It’s actually a tenet of our faith to contribute towards those efforts. So it’s been my entire career that I have served in that capacity motivated by my faith and my teachings in my home and my career has also demonstrated many instances of pro bono work, doing work for people who could not get a Lawyer otherwise. I’m proud of that work,” she said.

Noting that democracy is the lifeblood of US republic, she said insecurity in this process breeds mistrust, mistrust breeds, anxiety and anarchy. “We must remain forever vigilant in ensuring the results at the ballot box reflect the will of the people, not the preferences of the elites. It’s 2025 in America, President Trump was just elected with a historic amount of support from Latinos African Americans, Asian Americans and Americans without college degrees,” she said.