Harmeet Dhillon Approved to Lead Justice Department's Civil Rights Office
Dhillon received bipartisan opposition to her confirmation.
The U.S. Senate today held a recorded vote to confirm one individual nominated by President Donald Trump to serve in the executive branch of government - specifically in the U.S. Department of Justice led by Attorney General Pam Bondi since February 2025.
In a 52-45 vote, Harmeet Dhillon was confirmed as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. The position has been led by an acting official since January 2025, when Kristen Clarke resigned after serving since May 2021.
52 Republicans approved Dhillon’s nomination. Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined 43 Democrats and one Independent in opposition. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) did not vote.
Dhillon was nominated to this position by Trump in December 2024. Since 2006, she has been a partner at Dillon Law Group. Since 2019, she has also been CEO and Founder of the Center for American Liberty.
Dhillon unsuccessfully ran for the California Assembly in 2008 and the California Senate in 2012. Since July 2016, she has been a Republican National Committeewoman from California. In January 2023, she ran to replace Ronna McDaniel as Chair of the Republican National Committee. She lost by a 111-51 vote. Nevertheless, she was selected by the Arizona Republican Party in October 2024 to run its election integrity operation. She previously was a legal adviser to Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.