Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon has revealed a significant exodus from the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, with approximately 75% of its staff departing since her appointment.
This shift, she explained, is attributed to a change in enforcement priorities and the availability of a federal retirement package, as she discussed during an appearance on Breitbart News Sunday.
According to Breitbart, Dhillon, who assumed her role earlier this year, reported that around 200 of the division's more than 400 attorneys opted for a government-wide retirement package within her first two weeks in office. Subsequently, an additional 100 lawyers resigned in the following months, resulting in a substantial reduction of the division's workforce.
Dhillon stated that efforts are underway to recruit attorneys who are committed to enforcing laws as Congress intended and as interpreted by the courts.
Dhillon emphasized a strategic pivot away from what she termed the "politics of racial spoils and woke ideology," redirecting focus toward enforcing existing laws across various domains. These areas include university admissions policies, employment discrimination cases involving federal contractors and grant recipients, protections for service members and their families, and workplace rights for American citizens in relation to foreign workers.
The department, under Dhillon's leadership, is also intensifying its involvement in religious liberty cases. This includes challenges to vaccine mandates, a case in Washington State concerning Catholic confessional privilege, and the enforcement of the FACE Act to safeguard congregants at places of worship and protesters alike.
In the realm of election law, Dhillon confirmed that the Civil Rights Division has addressed redistricting concerns in Texas under the Voting Rights Act. She noted that recent Fifth Circuit case law has restricted the use of "coalition districts," influencing Texas's decision to redraw its electoral maps.
In response to campus unrest following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in Israel, Dhillon highlighted the DOJ's swift action to investigate antisemitism at universities, which has often led to the suspension or withdrawal of federal funding. She described this initiative as part of an "all of government" strategy spearheaded by the White House.
While upholding free speech protections, Dhillon delineated the boundary between constitutionally protected expression and actions that infringe on students' access to education or violate civil rights. "You can criticize Israel. Its absolutely appropriate to do that. Its a free country," she stated. "But you cant interfere with another persons access to their education or their own liberty."
Addressing broader civil rights challenges, Dhillon pointed to a pervasive culture of self-censorship in workplaces, schools, and public life. "Most people in America feel like they have to lie throughout the day to get by," she remarked, urging citizens to speak openly and defend their rights.
Looking forward, Dhillon expressed plans to expand the division as new hires are made. "We have tons of resumes," she noted, "and as that hiring authority trickles through we will be staffing up." This commitment to rebuilding the division underscores a renewed focus on traditional values and the rule of law.
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