The Republican-controlled US Senate confirmed Indian-origin conservative lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, nominated by President Donald Trump, to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, reports said.
The confirmation came with a 52-45 vote, where one Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, joined Democrats in voting against Dhillon’s nomination.
Dhillon’s confirmation marks a significant shift in the leadership of the Civil Rights Division, which oversees both criminal and civil matters such as hate crime prosecutions, voting rights litigation, and investigations into law enforcement agencies accused of discriminatory practices.
Her appointment is set to influence the department’s direction, especially given the changes already made by Trump’s appointees in the Civil Rights Division.
These changes include the reassignment of several top officials to a new office focused on investigating immigration issues and sanctuary cities. Under the current administration, the department has also slowed down efforts to resolve civil rights investigations into police departments, particularly the Minneapolis and Louisville police forces, in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Notably, a new investigation into the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s alleged violations of Second Amendment rights has also raised eyebrows.
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Dhillon, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, is known for her leadership at the far-right Center for American Liberty. At her confirmation hearing, she expressed strong support for the Trump administration’s stance against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, calling such programmes “illegal and unconstitutional”.
Dhillon’s nonprofit group advocates for the rights of individuals whom they believe are ignored by traditional civil rights organisations such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Trump has praised Dhillon for her consistent defence of civil liberties, highlighting her efforts against what she sees as censorship by Big Tech, and her legal actions involving religious freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also praised her work in challenging corporations that implement “woke” policies, accusing them of discriminating against their employees.
However, Dhillon’s nomination has faced opposition from groups like the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. They expressed concern about her past actions, including her support for Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, her opposition to transgender rights, and her stance on issues like reproductive freedom and sexual harassment.
The group warned that her confirmation could lead to a significant shift in the priorities of the Civil Rights Division, potentially undermining the progress made in civil rights protections.
Alongside Dhillon’s confirmation, the Senate also approved Trump’s former attorney, Dean John Sauer, as Solicitor General in a 52-45 vote. Sauer’s role will involve defending the federal government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, further cementing Trump’s influence within the U.S. legal system.
