On April 4, the U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed conservative attorney Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in a 52-45 vote, mostly along party lines. Only Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska broke from the Republican bloc to oppose the nomination.
Dhillon, a staunch ally of Donald Trump and a prominent conservative legal figure, will now oversee the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, which handles hate crimes, voting rights, and civil liberties enforcement. Trump had announced her nomination in December 2023, praising her efforts to challenge Big Tech, support Christians during COVID-19, and fight so-called “woke” workplace policies.
Her appointment has drawn strong criticism due to her track record of challenging voting procedures and promoting false claims of election fraud. As head of the Dhillon Law Group, she filed numerous lawsuits in multiple states questioning election integrity and defending Trump’s 2024 candidacy post-January 6. Critics argue that her past positions conflict with the responsibilities of protecting civil rights.
Dhillon, a Sikh and former California GOP official, faced racist backlash after delivering a prayer at the Republican National Convention. Her confirmation has been described as controversial by outlets like HuffPost and MSNBC, with concerns over whether she will uphold civil rights protections impartially.
