LDF Opposes Nomination of Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General

Read a PDF of our statement here.

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) today denounced the nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as the Department of Justice's Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement:

"The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division touches the lives of nearly every American, safeguarding such fundamental rights as the right to vote, and enforcing federal laws that protect individuals from discrimination. The responsibility of leading this division requires someone with a firm allegiance to the rule of law and the principles of equal protection and justice for all.

"Harmeet Dhillon is not that person.

"Dhillon has spent her career eroding public trust in our electoral process and participating in a larger effort to undermine racial equity initiatives. In 2020, she recklessly spread conspiracy theories about the integrity of our elections, going so far as to suggest that Supreme Court justices should intervene on President Trump's behalf. 'We're waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court - of which the President has nominated three justices - to step in and do something. And hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through,' she said. This suggestion that justices should be influenced to rule in favor of a president simply because he appointed them is a stunning departure from the rule of law and should be disqualifying for any Department of Justice lawyer, let alone the head of the Civil Rights Division.

"Protecting the rights and liberties of people most vulnerable to civil rights abuses should be the North Star of the Civil Rights Division, and yet Dhillon's record demonstrates a concerning pattern of prioritizing partisan interests over civil rights protections. As Black people continue to face barriers to voting across the country - as demonstrated in the most recent general elections - and as racial disparities across multiple sectors worsen, placing Dhillon in charge of enforcing voting rights and other civil rights laws would be a grave threat to our democracy. We urge the Senate to reject this nomination."

###

Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.