Harmeet Dhillon, one of California’s most prominent Republican operatives, a cultural activist who opposes “woke” politics and an ardent defender of President-elect Donald Trump, said on Monday: He was nominated by Trump to the top post in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
If confirmed, Dillon would be the second woman President Biden has appointed to head the Justice Department’s civil rights division, following longtime civil rights attorney Kristen Clark. The agency is charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws across a wide range of American lives.
Mr. Dillon, a frequent commentator in conservative media, has long been one of the most charismatic figures in the California Republican Party. She was in the spotlight in her unsuccessful 2023 race for Republican National Committee Chairman.
Irwin Chemerinsky, a legal scholar and dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, said Tuesday that “Harmeet Dhillon is very conservative and is hardly a champion of civil rights in the commonly understood sense. ” said in an email. “She aggressively challenged coronavirus restrictions. She even sued when conservatives claimed their speech was restricted. She challenged protections for transgender students. However, there is no mention in her record of combating discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Mr. Dillon is an ardent defender of Mr. Trump and has represented him in several of his lawsuits. Her other high-profile cases include that of California teenager Chloe Cole, a right-wing figure who has emerged as the face of the “detransition” movement, and that of failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. is included.
“Throughout his career, Harmeet has consistently stood up to protect our cherished civil liberties, including confronting Big Tech that censors free speech and fighting the coronavirus pandemic. “This includes representing Christians who are prevented from praying together because of the influence of Christian workers, and suing companies that use woke policies to discriminate against Christian workers,” Trump said in a statement. Ta.
Dillon declined to discuss this article when reached by phone Tuesday.
While priorities at the Justice Department change from administration to administration, Dillon leading the department’s civil rights division would represent a particularly strong contrast to the Biden era.
“This is one of those situations where elections really matter. It’s not just the attorney general who actually sets policy, it’s all the other powerful positions within the Department of Justice, because when it comes to legislation, it’s about passing laws. “That’s not where the story begins and ends. It’s about which laws to sue under, and which laws to prioritize enforcement of,” said Jessica Levinson. Ta. Professor at Loyola Law School.
Levinson said, for example, that fewer Americans will likely be sued under the Voting Rights Act in the civil rights office run by Dillon.
John Fleischman, a Republican campaign strategist and former executive director of the California Republican Party, praised the appointment, saying, “There is nothing meek, gentle or moderate about Harmeet Dhillon.” “The same street fighter who wanted to be chairman of the Republican Party in ultra-liberal San Francisco is now challenging the creation of the Justice Department’s liberal Civil Rights Division.”
Dillon was born in India and grew up in rural Northern California. Her rise in Republican politics began in San Francisco, where she lived for many years, first serving as chair of the local chapter of the Republican Party. She later rose to the state party’s No. 2 position and still represents California on the Republican National Committee.
She also founded the nonprofit Center for American Liberty in 2018, which advocates “opposing anti-free speech and anti-civil liberties trends,” according to the group’s website.
Some civil rights activists harshly criticized Trump’s choice.
“It’s petrifying. She’s such an extreme choice for this role,” said Rep. Rick Chavez Zubru (D-Los Angeles), an attorney with a long career in environmental law and LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy. Ta. “Her appointment as head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is completely surprising given her long history of opposing everything the department is mandated to protect.”
Dillon has come under fire from conservative activists in the past for donating to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for San Francisco district attorney and serving on the board of directors of the Bay Area chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Dillon said Harris is the more conservative candidate for district attorney and became involved with the ACLU after some Sikhs faced mistreatment after the Sept. 11 attacks. said.
Times staff writer Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
