The imminent changing of the guard at the Department of Justice’s civil rights division has sparked deep concerns among rights leaders and communities who have relied on federal investigations to achieve justice. Donald Trump’s plan to install conservative lawyer Harmeet Dhillon as assistant attorney general threatens to halt or reverse significant progress made in recent years on issues ranging from police misconduct to hate crimes to discrimination.
Dhillon, a vocal Trump supporter and frequent guest on right-wing media outlets, is poised to replace Kristen Clarke, the first Black woman to lead the civil rights division. Clarke’s tenure saw a marked increase in enforcement actions, including charging over 120 individuals in more than 110 hate crimes cases and opening 11 “pattern or practice” investigations into law enforcement agencies suspected of systemic misconduct.
A Legacy of Protecting the Vulnerable
The civil rights division was born out of some of America’s darkest chapters, from lynchings to the neglect of the elderly to the murder of marginalized individuals. When local authorities have been unwilling or unable to seek justice, the federal government has stepped in to fill the void.
“I talk to people who are depressed because of the outcome of the election, and I have to remind them, this is not our first lynching,” said Rev. Gerald Durley, a civil rights veteran who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. “During the early days, when real lynchings were occurring, we took the body down, we buried it, we kept on moving, and we kept on marching.”
Under the Biden administration, the division has tackled some of the nation’s most wrenching injustices, such as the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, the “goon squad” brutality by Mississippi sheriff’s deputies, and the mass shootings targeting Black and Hispanic communities in Buffalo and El Paso, respectively.
Fears of Reversed Priorities
Dhillon’s scant civil rights résumé, coupled with the recommendations put forth in the conservative blueprint known as Project 2025, has led many to worry that the division’s priorities will shift drastically under her leadership. The Project 2025 document asserts that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are “unlawful discrimination” and need to be aggressively prosecuted.
While Trump has sent mixed signals about his stance on police misconduct cases, it remains unclear whether high-profile investigations like the ones launched after the murder of Tyre Nichols will proceed at the same pace or with the same vigor.
“I think the DoJ reports make it clear that there need to be some systemic changes,” noted Mawuli Davis, a prominent civil rights attorney in Atlanta. “It requires a level of intentionality, of follow-up, and I don’t know that this will be a focus [under the new administration].”
As the Trump administration prepares to take the reins, marginalized communities are bracing for a potential rollback of the federal government’s commitment to defending their civil rights. Only time will tell if their fears are founded, but one thing is certain: the stakes could not be higher.
