The quiet but powerful network of entrenched bureaucrats often described as Washingtons Deep State appears to be facing a serious shake-up inside the U.S. Department of Justice.
Long viewed by conservatives as a bastion of progressive legal activism, the DOJs Civil Rights Division is undergoing a dramatic transformation as hundreds of longtime attorneys head for the exits and a new cadre of lawyers steps in. According to WND, this shift is being driven by a deliberate effort to dismantle race-based diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and to redirect the division toward enforcing civil rights in a way that aligns more closely with constitutional principles and voter expectations.
The change has been confirmed by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for Civil Rights, who has openly described the new mission of her division. The @CivilRights Division is dedicated to eradicating DEI, cleaning up voter rolls, prosecuting religious discrimination, and more. Join the fight @theJusticeDept here: https://justice.gov/crt/employment-opportunities.
Dhillon has made clear that the division is actively working to dismantle the race-based DEI agenda that has permeated federal agencies and corporate America in recent years. She has also emphasized a renewed focus on election integrity and the protection of religious liberty, two issues that resonate strongly with conservatives who have long argued that the federal bureaucracy has been weaponized against them.
A writer at RedState described Dhillons work as restocking the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division with conservative lawyers after a mass exodus of the old guard. She has been directing interested applicants to an online hiring page, signaling that the division is not retreating but rebuilding with a very different philosophical foundation.
Dhillons rallying cry follows the departure of more than 300 of the divisions 400-plus attorneys over the past 19 months, a collapse Bloomberg Law tied to Dhillons overhaul of the offices priorities, the report said. Bloomberg claimed, The Justice Departments gutted Civil Rights Division is rebuilding with lawyers steeped in conservative advocacy and Republican politics with a new mission to wage partisan fights and defend gun rights.
Dhillon has not shied away from acknowledging that her policy shift triggered the departures. When I started, it had about 400 attorneys in it, and when we came in and told the lawyers here that we were going to be implementing the Presidents executive orders and prioritizing getting rid of DEI and cleaning up voter rolls and, you know, doing some of these important things that the American people voted for, eventually about 300 of those attorneys quit, she said. They, in fact, self-deported, she said.
RedState underscored the magnitude of the turnover and what it reveals about the ideological tilt of the old Civil Rights Division. Think about that for a minute 75 percent of the lawyers in the Civil Rights Division fled the scene when it became clear that President Trump wanted a focus on eliminating racial discrimination (in the form of racist DEI policies) and cleaning up elections. When people talk about draining the swamp, this is what they mean.
The DOJ, however, is eager to project stability and continuity despite the upheaval. DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels tells Bloomberg Law that the division remains dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans and they are grateful to the 100 lawyers and staff who have joined our team, the report said. We look forward to welcoming 100 more.
On social media, ordinary Americans weighed in with a mixture of encouragement and concern that reflects broader public skepticism toward the federal bureaucracy. Wish I was a 30 yr old lawyer, because dont think you need a 71 year old retired plumber. Religious discrimination frightens me. Government has no business there.
Others voiced support for Dhillons willingness to let resistant staff walk away rather than sabotage the new agenda from within. If the attorneys dont cooperate with you then its a good thing they left. Be careful who you hire next. For conservatives who have long argued that the Deep State is real, the mass resignation of ideologically hostile lawyers and the recruitment of new attorneys committed to equal treatment under the law, election integrity, and religious freedom looks less like chaos and more like long-overdue accountability inside one of Washingtons most powerful and historically politicized divisions.
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