National Civil and Human Rights Organizations Urge Senate to Reject Dhillon’s Nomination to Lead Civil Rights Division

Civil Rights Enforcement News 03.12.25

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined by 65 national organizations, wrote to senators urging them to oppose the confirmation of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Based on her lack of independence and her extensive record of going after the rights of the very people she would have the duty to defend, the groups say that Ms. Dhillon is disqualified from serving in this important civil rights enforcement role.

For decades, the civil rights community has looked to the DOJ and its Civil Rights Division as a leader in the fight for civil rights. Today, at a time when multiracial democracy and fundamental rights are in jeopardy, and in the wake of Pam Bondi’s confirmation as attorney general and the actions she has already taken to undermine our rights, it is critical that the Civil Rights Division both be a leader — and have a leader — committed to defending the civil and human rights of all people. “Especially at this fraught period in our nation’s history, the crucially important work of the division to enforce the promises made in our civil rights laws is more important than ever, and it requires an assistant attorney general with a demonstrated commitment to civil rights for all people,” the letter states. “Unfortunately, a careful review of her record and her responses to questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrate that Ms. Dhillon does not possess that commitment and is unfit for this critical position.”

The letter highlights examples of Ms. Dhillon’s unacceptable and disturbing record of opposing and undermining voting rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Like Attorney General Bondi, Ms. Dhillon has also been an ardent supporter of President Trump’s baseless claims of rampant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Appallingly, her confirmation would place two election deniers in charge of enforcing the Voting Rights Act as the nation commemorates the landmark law’s 60th anniversary this year.

“With the attacks on our multiracial democracy and civil and human rights already underway at the DOJ, it is critical that the Civil Rights Division fulfill its responsibility to vigorously enforce the nation’s landmark civil rights laws,” the letter states. “We deserve an assistant attorney general who will work for all of us and who has a record of protecting and advancing the rights of all people in America. Unfortunately, Ms. Dhillon’s record and her statements at the hearing demonstrate she is not fit for this role.”

The full letter is available here.

Leadership Conference background and resources

Founded in 1950 as the lobbying arm of the civil rights movement, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights remains the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights coalition. The Leadership Conference has coordinated the lobbying efforts on behalf of every major civil rights bill signed into law since the Civil Rights Act of 1957 — legislation that created the Civil Rights Division and authorized the position that Ms. Dhillon now seeks to hold.

  • For more information about the history of the Civil Rights Division, the importance of strong leadership, and the recent whiplash in federal civil rights enforcement, read our brief here.
  • Ahead of Ms. Dhillon’s confirmation hearing, The Leadership Conference submitted a letter for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Read it here.
  • Following Ms. Dhillon’s testimony before the committee, The Leadership Conference released a memo highlighting many of her troubling responses. Read it here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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