On Monday, US President-elect Donald Trump announced the appointment of Harmeet K. Dhillon, an Indian American lawyer, as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice. Dhillon becomes the fourth Indian American to be nominated for a position in Trump’s second-term Cabinet, following Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (National Institutes of Health), Vivek Ramaswamy (Department of Government Efficiency), and Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel (FBI Director).
Trump praised Dhillon on Truth Social, highlighting her work taking on tech companies for censoring free speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during the Covid-19 pandemic, and suing corporations using “woke” policies to discriminate against workers. He described her as a top election lawyer committed to ensuring only legal votes are counted. Trump also emphasized her respected status in the Sikh community and her dedication to defending constitutional rights, civil rights, and election laws in her new DOJ role.
In response, Dhillon expressed her honor at the nomination, sharing her excitement about joining the team of lawyers led by Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general pick. She tweeted, “I am extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team led by @PamBondi. I cannot wait to get to work!” Dhillon also acknowledged the support of her family, particularly her late father Tejpal and husband Sarv, adding, “I hope I will honor their memories, with God’s grace.”
Harmeet Dhillon was born on April 2, 1969, in Chandigarh, India. She moved to the United States with her family at the age of two and grew up in a Sikh household in rural North Carolina before relocating to New York City. Dhillon graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Classical Studies and English, before earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a member of the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review.
Dhillon began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Paul V. Niemeyer of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She later worked in the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, in the Constitutional Torts Section. She then joined the prestigious law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she gained expertise in complex civil litigation, constitutional law, and appellate practice.
After more than a decade of work at top international law firms in New York, London, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco, Dhillon founded the Dhillon Law Group in 2006.
Her legal practice covers a wide range of areas, including commercial litigation, employment law, First Amendment rights, and election law. She also specializes in securities, entertainment, employment discrimination, and civil rights cases. Additionally, Dhillon has a niche practice in election and campaign law, offering services related to compliance, ethics, and intellectual property issues surrounding campaign communications.
