Over 200 Former DOJ Civil Rights Division Employees Condemn Changes Under Trump-Backed Leadership
More than 200 former employees of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division signed a letter on December 9, 2025, condemning the near destruction of the division and the purging of career experts under the Trump administration. Former staff described a mass exodus earlier in 2025 after political appointees removed career managers, reassigned staff, dropped cases unilaterally, and aligned division priorities with former President Donald Trump.
By May 1, 2025, the division had lost about 70% of its attorneys. Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division and is aligned with Trump, reportedly cheered the departures, while the letter states that staff left because the division's core mission had been inverted.
The letter alleges that the division has abandoned civil rights enforcement, including dismissing key voting rights cases, investigations into sexual abuse of unaccompanied migrant children, and enforcement of consent decrees with police departments. It claims Dhillon urged lawyers to take paid leave and warned that layoffs would follow if they did not depart.
In April 2025, Dhillon issued new mission statements that de-emphasized traditional civil rights enforcement, shifting the voting section’s focus to voter fraud with scant reference to the Voting Rights Act. The department reportedly dismissed ongoing Voting Rights Act lawsuits without consulting career attorneys and has not filed new suits; officials have argued for narrowing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in ways that could impede non-white voters.
The removal of career managers eliminated buffers against political interference, raising concerns about political influence over the division's work. The letter calls for restoration of the division’s original mission and urges Americans to demand enforcement of civil rights laws.
The letter was released by Justice Connection to mark the Civil Rights Division’s 68th anniversary. The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the allegations.
