Oppose the Confirmation of Harmeet Dhillon To Be Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
View the PDF of this letter here.
Oppose the Confirmation of Harmeet Dhillon
To Be Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
Dear Senator:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights coalition with a diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations working to build an America as good as its ideals, and the undersigned 65 national organizations, we write to express strong opposition to the nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as the next assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. We urge the Senate to reject Ms. Dhillon’s nomination.
Since the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was created more than 150 years ago, it has served as our nation’s signature agency for the enforcement of our federal civil rights laws. Indeed, the DOJ was established in part to enforce the Reconstruction Amendments aimed at abolishing slavery, ensuring equal protection under the law, and securing voting rights for Black Americans. The department’s Civil Rights Division — often called the “crown jewel” of the DOJ — was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which also authorized the creation of an assistant attorney general for civil rights. Tasked with “prohibiting discrimination in public facilities, places of public accommodation, employment, and schools,” the division and its leader enforce our nation’s civil rights laws, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other federal voting rights laws, the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, and many others.[1] These landmark laws, passed by Congress at the urging of the civil rights community, help people across the nation every day in their lives. They ensure that we can cast our ballots and have them counted, receive fundamental health care services, access buildings and services, own homes, seek equitable education, and so much more. At its best, the division upholds the principles of equality and justice that are foundational to a thriving American democracy, but we have also unfortunately seen the force of the division used to divide our communities and to undermine our civil rights.
The threats posed in Project 2025, much of which is already underway, as well as the actions of this administration and DOJ leadership already, underscore our alarm. Only two days after taking office, the Trump administration ordered a halt to all ongoing litigation pending within the Civil Rights Division and directed the office to not pursue any new cases or enter into any settlement agreements.[2] This may affect crucial ongoing work of the division, such as overseeing reform settlements with police forces, including agreements reached in Minneapolis in response to the murder of George Floyd and in Louisville in response to the murder of Breonna Taylor.[3] On Pam Bondi’s first day as attorney general of the United States, she issued a number of memos that require the leader of the Civil Rights Division to abandon the work of the division and leave behind the civil rights of many.[4] This includes going after the very initiatives that foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility that serve to help comply with federal civil rights law.[5]
Any nominee appointed to lead the division — with the immense responsibility of enforcing our civil rights laws — must be held to a high standard, be independent, and have a deep commitment to and demonstrated record of protecting the rights of all of us. Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s nominee to lead the Civil Rights Division, does not meet this standard. In addition to serving as a partner at the Dhillon Law Group, she is the CEO and founder of the Center for American Liberty (CAL), whose stated mission is “defending the civil liberties of Americans left behind by civil rights legacy organizations.”[6] As the civil rights coalition that for decades has been at the forefront of achieving recognition of the civil and human rights of all people, including securing passage of the law that created the position Ms. Dhillon now seeks to hold, this assertion is both inaccurate and insulting. Throughout her career, Ms. Dhillon has threatened the very civil rights of many communities who the Civil Rights Division was created to defend.
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. Unfortunately, a careful review of her record and her responses to questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrates that Ms. Dhillon does not possess that commitment and is unfit for this critical position. As we detail below, several aspects of Ms. Dhillon’s record disqualify her for this critical position.
Voting Rights
Ms. Dhillon’s actions and statements throughout and after the 2020 election are disqualifying. She has been an ardent supporter of President Trump’s baseless claims of rampant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. In an interview, Ms. Dhillon falsely claimed that the results of the 2020 election happened because there was a “wholesale ignoring of laws passed by legislatures,” which “change the outcomes of the election in a few counties and that changes the outcome of the national election.”[7] During the 2020 election, Ms. Dhillon worked as co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, a group formed by the Trump campaign to “protect the integrity of the election.”[8] This included television appearances where she perpetuated the Trump campaign’s accusations that there was persistent voter fraud in Pennsylvania during the 2020 election.[9] In an interview in November 2020, Ms. Dhillon went so far as to call on the Supreme Court to intervene, saying “we’re waiting for the United States Supreme Court, of which the president has nominated three justices, to step in and do something. And hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through and pick it up.”[10] This statement calling for presidential fealty from jurists whose loyalty she assumes will be to the president who appointed them and not to the rule of law is appalling. Efforts by attorneys to challenge the 2020 election results through litigation without any evidence or facts to support their claims have led to numerous disciplinary actions by courts and bar associations.[11]
Her law firm, Dhillon Law Group, in conjunction with the nonprofit organization she founded, CAL, filed more than a dozen troubling lawsuits across eight states, which included challenging voting districts to allow President Trump’s name to appear on ballots in states that determined his role in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol disqualified him from running for office.[12] Her fervent advocacy on behalf of Trump, who has made clear that he values loyalty to him above service to the country, is unacceptable for a position that is intended to serve the people of this nation.
Also concerning is that in 2024, Ms. Dhillon represented Kari Lake, failed Arizona U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidate, who claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from President Trump, going so far as to call for imprisonment of those who refused to perpetuate this false narrative, which included journalists and her gubernatorial challenger, Governor Katie Hobbs.[13]
In addition, Ms. Dhillon has relentlessly tried to limit access to the ballot box. For example, she represented the Georgia Republican Party in a case defending the state’s requirement that absentee ballots are valid only if they are signed in ink, and she represented a member of Pennsylvania’s Board of Elections challenging a state law that sent mail-in ballots to every registered voter, which would have heavily expanded voter access in the state.[14] Her firm has also submitted amicus briefs on behalf of conservative groups supporting a racially discriminatory Alabama congressional map[15] and supporting the far-right wing independent state legislature theory, both of which were struck down by the Supreme Court.[16] She testified before the House Committee on Administration in 2023 and falsely accused the Biden administration of censorship and influencing the outcome of elections because of their effort to stop the spread of disinformation on social media.[17]
We are incredibly alarmed by her frontal attack on the Voting Rights Act itself. She has called the congressional effort to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act in the aftermath of Shelby County v. Holder an “unnecessary power grab” based on “false propaganda about ‘voting rights.’”[18] In 2021, Ms. Dhillon penned an op-ed for Fox News in which she stated that “voting rights have never been stronger” and asked, “where’s the suppression?” — wholly disregarding the harm caused by voter suppression bills around the country, which Shelby County unleashed in 2013 and that continue to this day.[19] She challenged the foundational preclearance process that Congress adopted in 1965 by which the federal government reviewed proposed voting changes by jurisdictions with a history of discrimination, calling it now a “political tool to keep D.C. bureaucrats in charge of voting rules in many states.”[20]
During Ms. Dhillon’s hearing, Senator Hirono asked her whether it is her position that bringing cases under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires discriminatory intent, and she responded by saying that “I would say, to generalize, yes it is.”[21] This is an extremely disturbing statement from the prospective governmental official who would be in charge of enforcing the Voting Rights Act, which protects people against voting measures that are discriminatory in intent and in effect.[22] Senator Britt — from the state of Alabama that gave us Selma and Shelby County — raised the issue of documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, despite the fact that federal law already prohibits voting in federal elections by persons who are not U.S. citizens. Ms. Dhillon expressed support for this requirement and thanked the senator for introducing legislation related to this requirement, saying that “I do think that it would be a tremendous boost to voter confidence and the integrity of elections in the states if there was assurance that only citizens are voting, similarly that they’re only voting once.”[23] The civil rights community strongly opposes these measures because they would disenfranchise countless numbers of voters and because they represent solutions in search of a problem that cynically trades on dangerous myths and stereotypes. Our nation already has strict laws and effective safeguards in place to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections, and every serious analysis conducted has concluded that allegations of widespread noncitizen voting lack any basis in fact.[24]
The right to vote in free and fair elections is a bedrock right of our democracy. As the nation prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act this year, the leader of the Civil Rights Division must be someone who works to ensure that all citizens have full and fair access to the ballot box — not someone who has worked tirelessly to perpetuate false claims of voter fraud and election interference and who has worked so hard to restrict people’s voting rights.
Reproductive Rights
The public needs to be able to trust that the leader of the Civil Rights Division will faithfully uphold the laws that protect their access to reproductive health care, which includes the right to seek abortion care. The Civil Rights Division has played a critical role in enforcing federal laws, as well as ensuring safe access to reproductive health care and especially access to abortion services through the enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The FACE Act prohibits “threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services” as well as other applicable criminal statutes based on intimidation tactics.[25] Already, the attorney general has signaled that she will use the resources of the DOJ, including the leader of the Civil Rights Division, to not only relinquish enforcement of these laws but to investigate previous and ongoing FACE Act criminal prosecutions.[26] Ms. Dhillon’s record demonstrates that she would not be independent or be able to enforce these critical civil rights laws.
Ms. Dhillon says that she is a lawyer “for the pro-life movement.”[27] Her open disdain for those who choose to exercise their right to make autonomous decisions about their body and health is jarring. She has openly said she rejects “abortion rights”[28] and in an interview said that “I can’t identify with a party — and frankly most people of faith can’t — where one of their religious tenets of their faith is killing children in the womb.”[29] Ms. Dhillon’s aggressive language and inflammatory rhetoric around abortion is deeply concerning.
Attacks on the LGBTQ+ Community
Attacks against the LGBTQ+ community have been steadily on the rise, with unprecedented numbers of bills attacking their rights being introduced at the federal, state, and local level.[30] The majority of these bills are aimed at transgender people, and especially transgender, nonbinary, and intersex youth. Protecting the most vulnerable among us should be the highest priority for the leader of the division, yet Ms. Dhillon has focused on denying the dignity and rights of transgender people. During her opening statement at the hearing, she perpetuated this and stated that “Young girls and women are seeing their dreams of hard fought equal access to sports opportunities — of even basic privacy, modesty, and dignity in women’s private spaces — being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.”[31] In an interview, she said “Title IX was passed by Congress to protect women’s rights — not the rights of men pretending to be women.”[32] She has often referred to doctors who provide gender-affirming care as “butchers” and “predatory” for “pushing trans lies” and that they “ruin a child’s life by lying to them” because “you cannot change your sex.”[33] She also claims that transgender activists have “erase[d] all the gains women have made toward equality and independence.”[34]
Some of the most radical litigation brought by Ms. Dhillon’s organization, CAL, attacks transgender people, and in particular transgender youth and those who support them, such as doctors, mental health experts, and teachers — fighting back against what she calls “radical gender ideology.”[35] Despite overwhelming medical and scientific data that supports gender-affirming care, however, Ms. Dhillon has brought several cases against hospitals and health care providers who treated transgender youth. In these cases, she falsely alleges that the plaintiffs were “groomed” by transgender social media influencers into the “erroneous idea” that they were also transgender and then “coerced” into transitioning by the doctors after the plaintiffs’ parents sought treatment for their gender dysphoria.[36] These complaints rely on fear-mongering junk science, disproven theories, and thoroughly debunked studies and claim that there was a breach of informed consent because plaintiffs allege that they were not informed of possible risks of this medical treatment.[37] In reality, science shows that this medical treatment is appropriate and effective to treat gender dysphoria.[38] Access to gender-affirming care can be life-saving for transgender people, and it is supported by every major medical association.[39] Further, Ms. Dhillon has advocated for the use of conversion therapy, an extremely dangerous and wholly disproven practice that studies have shown greatly increase the chances that the person subjected to it will experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.[40]
Not only do these cases demonstrate a legal irresponsibility by Ms. Dhillon for bringing suits against doctors and hospitals that have followed proper guidelines for the treatment of transgender youth, but they also demonstrate how concerning it would be if she were to have the force of the DOJ behind her. Ms. Dhillon’s responsibility at the division would be to protect transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people from discrimination — as is the charge of the assistant attorney general for civil rights — yet she has denied, diminished, and tried to erase their existence.
Problematic Client Representation
The leader of the Civil Rights Division should be laser-focused on enforcing civil rights laws and working to dismantle the white supremacy that permeates American institutions and society. During the hearing, Ms. Dhillon frequently stated that she protects the rights of the “defenseless,”[41] yet she has a history of choosing to represent people who foster hostile workplaces and environments. For example, in 2018, she represented disgraced former Google engineer James Damore, who was fired after releasing a memo claiming that the biological differences between men and women made men more successful at coding and accused Google and the tech world generally of being “racist” against white men.[42] Ms. Dhillon unsuccessfully represented Mr. Damore and another ex-Google employee in a class action suit accusing Google of discrimination against white, conservative men.[43] In another case, Ms. Dhillon unsuccessfully represented a middle school student who was suspended after wearing blackface and using racial slurs at a school sporting event.[44]
In addition, at the hearing Senator Schmitt mischaracterized diversity, equity, and inclusion practices as “pervasive racism that exists against Asians, whites, and other disfavored groups” and “cultural Marxism” and praised Ms. Dhillon because “unlike most ‘major’ civil rights groups today, [she] oppose[s] racial discrimination in all forms.”[45] He then asked Ms. Dhillon if reverse racism is still racism, and she replied, “I don’t even use the term ‘reverse racism.’ It’s just racism to discriminate on the basis of race.”[46] Ms. Dhillon’s response is troubling and ignores the history of Black and Brown communities who have been subject to significant discrimination and who fought to have their civil rights recognized by Congress and the courts, and it perpetuates an unsubstantiated myth that white people, in particular, are harmed by the recognition of rights for Black, Latino, AANHPI, Native, and other people of color.
In addition, Ms. Dhillon represented former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson in a suit brought by a former employee who said that Mr. Carlson and his male producers created a hostile work environment. The former employee alleged that she was mocked about her Jewish faith, endured sexist comments, and was told by Justin Wells, Mr. Carlson’s producer, that she was being paid less than her male counterparts.[47] When she complained to management about this toxic work environment, she was dismissed and told that they were “just following Tucker’s tone.”[48] The suit was ultimately settled, with the former employee receiving a $12 million settlement from Fox News, and Mr. Carlson and Mr. Wells were fired.[49] In a separate case, Ms. Dhillon represented Mr. Wells after he was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee and of retaliation against the employee after he spurned Mr. Wells’ advancements.[50]
As the leader of the Civil Rights Division, Ms. Dhillon would be responsible for enforcing the laws that keep people safe from hostile work environments and defending the rights of those who have experienced discrimination. It is clear from who she has chosen to represent that she will leave behind the people and communities who long fought for the passage of civil rights legislation.
Conclusion
Ms. Dhillon’s lack of independence and record of going after the rights of the very people that she would have the duty to defend is disqualifying. 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. 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. We strongly urge the Senate to oppose her confirmation.
Sincerely,
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Advancement Project
Advocates for Trans Equality
AFL-CIO
All Voting is Local
Alliance for Justice
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Atheists
American Humanist Association
American Oversight
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Center for Responsible Lending
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Color of Change
Democracy 21
Equal Justice Society
Feminist Majority Foundation
FFRF Action Fund
GLSEN
Government Information Watch
Hispanic Federation
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights First
Interfaith Alliance
Japanese American Citizens League
Just Solutions
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Lawyers for Good Government
League of Conservation Voters
Matthew Shepard Foundation
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.
Nathaniel R. Jones Foundation
National Abortion Federation
National Action Network
National Council of Jewish Women
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Health Law Program
National Partnership for Women & Families
National PLACE
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
People For the American Way
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Popular Democracy in Action
Population Connection Action Fund
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
Public Citizen
Public Justice
Reproductive Freedom for All
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
SEIU
Southern Poverty Law Center
Stop AAPI Hate
The Workers Circle
Transformative Justice Coalition
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Voices for Progress
Western States Center
Workplace Fairness
[1] U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (accessed February 7, 2025).
[2] Sarah N. Lynch, US Justice Department freezes its civil rights litigation, Reuters (January 22, 2025).
[3] Id.
[4] See e.g., Restoring The Integrity And Credibility Of The Department Of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (February 5, 2025) (weaponizing the Department of Justice to force through all of President Trump’s policies).
[5] See e.g. Ending Illegal DEI and DEIA Discrimination and Preferences, Office of the Attorney General (February 5, 2025); Eliminating Internal Discriminatory Practices, Office of the Attorney General (February 5, 2025); General Policy Regarding Zealous Advocacy on Behalf of the United States, Office of the Attorney General (February 5, 2025) (Department materials that encouraged or permitted race- or sex-based preferences as a method of compliance with federal civil rights laws are rescinded and will be replaced with new guidelines).
[6] About, Center for American Liberty (accessed February 9, 2025).
[7] Nicole Shanahan, Fixing the System: The Battle Against Lawfare and Corruption with Harmeet Dhillon, YouTube (October 4, 2024).
[8] Ronn Blitzer, Trump, Biden campaign lawyers ready to pounce for election legal battle, Fox News (November 2, 2020).
[9] Matt Wilstein, Trump Lawyer Calls for Supreme Court to ‘Step in and Do Something’ to Help President Win, The Daily Beast (November 5, 2020).
[10] Id.
[11] See e.g., Elise Bean, Trump’s lawyers in suits claiming he won in 2020 are getting punished for abusing courts, Kansas Reflector (June 8, 2024); Alanna Durkin Richer, Rudy Giuliani disbarred in DC after pushing Trump’s false 2020 election claims, AP News (September 26, 2024).
[12] Matt Cohen, Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s Assistant Attorney General Pick, Has a History of Attacking Voting Rights, Democracy Docket (December 10, 2024).
[13] Daniel Dale, Fact-checking Kari Lake, serial promoter of election lies and early frontrunner in GOP primary for Arizona governor, CNN (October 16, 2024).
[14] Matt Cohen, Meet the Lawyer Trying to Keep Trump on the Ballot, Democracy Docket (February 28, 2024).
[15] Brief Of Amicus Curiae The Republican National Committee In Support Of Appellants/Petitioners (Sup. Ct. 2023).
[16] Brief Of Citizens United, Citizens United Foundation, And The Presidential Coalition As Amici Curiae In Support Of Petitioners (Sup. Ct. 2023).
[17] Testimony Of Harmeet K. Dhillon CEO Of The Center For American Liberty, House Committee on Administration (May 11, 2023).
[18] Harmeet Dhillon, Dems’ HR4 another election power grab – here’s what’s in it and how to fight back, Fox News (June 21, 2021).
[19] Id.
[20] Id.
[21] Nominations, Senate Judiciary Committee (February 26, 2025).
[22] See Allen v. Milligan, 599 U.S. 1, 143 (S. Ct. 2023).
[23] Nominations, Senate Judiciary Committee (February 26, 2025).
[24] See e.g., Wendy Weiser & Douglas Keith, Non-Citizens Are Not Voting. Here Are the Facts, Brennan Center for Justice (February 13, 2017); Peter Charalambous, Election fact check: Noncitizens can’t vote, and instances are ‘vanishingly rare’, ABC News (October 28, 2024); Glenn Kessler, The truth about noncitizen voting in federal elections, The Washington Post (March 6, 20214).
[25] Civil Rights Division, Protecting Patients and Health Care Providers, U.S. Department of Justice (accessed February 8, 2025).
[26] Restoring the integrity and Credibility to the Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (February 5, 2025).
[27] Capitol Weekly Staff, Capitol Weekly Podcast: Harmeet Dhillon on the End of Roe, Capitol Weekly (May 5, 2022).
[28] Virginia Allen & Lauren Evans, Problematic Women: Ladies, Know Your First Amendment Rights, The Daily Signal (March 19, 2020).
[29] Harmeet Dhillon, Dhillon on Dems Attempt to Appeal to Women, Dhillon Law Group (August 21, 2020).
[30] Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2025, American Civil Liberties Union (accessed February 7, 2025).
[31] Nominations, Senate Judiciary Committee (February 26, 2025).
[32] Post by Harmeet Dhillon on X (April 30, 2014).
[33] Post by Harmeet Dhillon on X (January 29, 2024).
[34] Post by Harmeet Dhillon on X (March 29, 2023).
[35] See e.g. Susannah Luthi, Gavin Newsom Allows Secret School Gender Transitions To Become Law, Free Beacon (July 16, 2024); Harmeet Dhillon, Vermont Parents Punished by Foster System for Refusing Radical Gender Ideology for Kids, Center for American Liberty (May 30, 2024); Valerie Richardson, California spurs outcry with first-in-nation ‘don’t tell parents’ law on student gender-switches, Washington Times (July 16, 2024).
[36] See Chloe Cole v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc., et al (CA Sup. Ct., 2024); Luka Hein v. UNMC Physicians, et al (NE Dist. Ct. 2024); Layla Jane v. Kaiser Hospital Foundation (CA. Sup. Ct. 2023).
[37] Julia Temple Newhook, et al, Teach your parents and providers well, National Library of Medicine (May 2018).
[38] Dr. Kristina R. Olson, Dr. Lily Durwood, Dr. Natalie Gallagher, & Dr. Aaron Devor, Gender Identity 5 Years After Social Transition, Pediatrics (July 2022).
[39] Medical Association Statements in Support of Health Care for Transgender People and Youth, GLAAD (June 26, 2024).
[40] Nguyen K. Tran et al, Conversion practice recall and mental health symptoms in sexual and gender minority adults in the USA: a cross-sectional study, The Lancet Psychiatry (November, 2024).
[41] Nominations, Senate Judiciary Committee (February 26, 2025).
[42] Elizabeth Weise, Ex-Google engineer Damore sues alleging discrimination against white, conservative men, USA Today (January 8, 2018).
[43] James Damore & David Gudeman v. Google, LLC (CA Sup. Ct. 2018).
[44] J.A. by & through D.A. v. Luna, No. 24CV0112-LL-MMP (S.D. Cal. September 30, 2024).
[45] Nominations, Senate Judiciary Committee (February 26, 2025).
[46] Id.
[47] David Folkenflik, Fox pays $12 million to resolve suit alleging bias at Tucker Carlson’s show, NPR (June 30, 2023).
[48] Id.
[49] Id.
[50] Stephen Battaglio, Former Tucker Carlson producer accused of sexual assault in lawsuit, LA Times (December 4, 2023).