Justice Dept. Hires 130 Lawyers for Civil Rights Unit as 300 Career Staff Exit
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 6
Justice Dept. Hires 130 Lawyers for Civil Rights Unit as 300 Career Staff Exit
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 6
Summary
130 lawyers have recently joined the Justice Department’s depleted civil rights division, including recruits with records that former officials said would likely have blocked hiring in the past.
More than 300 nonpolitical career employees have left since early 2025 after division chief Harmeet Dhillon redirected the unit to pursue President Trump’s agenda, draining decades of experience.
Recent hires cited in the report include a former prosecutor removed from a murder case, a onetime gambling executive who promoted 2017 Las Vegas massacre conspiracy theories, and a Florida activist jailed 20 days for hacking an elections system.
Department officials said they had rejected 126 applicants and argued the division’s ideological tilt reflects a Trump-era pool heavy with conservative activists and recent law graduates.
Dhillon defended the new lawyers and said she is overhauling a division she described as having been dominated by liberals for too long.