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The DOJ Official Who Spent 19 Months Terrorizing Colleges Is Resigning
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, plans to resign after the US midterm elections, reportedly because she was frustrated at not receiving a promotion. Her departure follows 19 months in which she led an aggressive campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion policies at colleges, a shift critics say has altered the division’s civil rights mission.
Since taking office in April 2025, Dhillon said she had opened more than 100 investigations into university admissions and campus antisemitism. The article says more than 300 campuses have since ended or changed DEI policies, while Dhillon’s department sued Harvard twice in six weeks and opened investigations at the University of Virginia that preceded its president’s resignation. She is the first senior official to leave after Democrats’ strong midterm results.
In short
- Harmeet Dhillon plans to leave the Justice Department after the midterms.
- She led more than 100 investigations involving colleges.
- More than 300 campuses have changed or ended DEI policies.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters could argue that federal civil-rights law should be enforced consistently, including when university admissions or campus policies may discriminate or fail to address antisemitism. Investigations and legal action can press institutions to explain their practices and protect equal treatment, while prompting changes before alleged harms become entrenched.
The case against
Critics could argue that this campaign recast civil-rights enforcement as a broad assault on diversity programmes, risking the loss of efforts that address persistent barriers and unequal treatment. They may also see the scale of investigations and pressure on universities as chilling lawful campus initiatives and diverting the division from a wider range of civil-rights concerns.
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