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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, America First Legal (AFL) sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary supporting Harmeet Dhillon’s nomination to be Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Read the full text of the letter below:
Senate Judiciary Committee
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Committee Members,
America First Legal Foundation is a national, nonprofit organization that promotes
the rule of law in the United States works to prevent executive overreach, and
educates the public to advance civil rights, due process, and equal protection for all
Americans.
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (CRT) has a simple charter: to
protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and enforce federal statutes
prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, and national
origin, among other things. Our nation has made great strides toward realizing the
Constitution’s promise of color-blind equality and CRT has played a key role in this
Struggle.
However, the fight to secure color-blind equality for all American citizens is far from
over. From corporate boardrooms to college admissions offices to factory floors,
unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin
persists, justified by reference to the pernicious and divisive doctrine of “diversity,
equity, and inclusion” (DEI). As Justice Harlan said, “Our constitution is color-blind,
and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all
citizens are equal before the law.” See Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President
& Fellows of Harvard Coll., 600 U.S. 181, 264 (2023) (Thomas, J., concurring)
(citation omitted). America First Legal has fought relentlessly to demolish illegal DEI
from our founding day. But CRT must lead the way.
This is why America First Legal believes Harmeet Dhillon would be the perfect choice
to lead this historic office.
First, Ms. Dhillon is extremely well qualified for this position. After graduating from
Dartmouth College, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia
School of Law, where she served on the Editorial Board of the University of Virginia
Law Review. Following law school, she clerked for Judge Paul V. Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Baltimore, Maryland.
Second, Ms. Dhillon has shown she will defend the rights of all American citizens.
She has advocated for religious liberty, parents’ rights, and, despite immense political
pressure, Americans’ right to be free from overreaching government mandates.
Notably, she represented independent contractors, both Republicans and Democrats,
who didn’t qualify for PPP loans during the pandemic. These barbers and beauticians
were left to starve—prohibited by government officials in Sacramento from earning
a living.
Finally, Ms. Dhillon has more than three decades of litigation and legal practice
management experience.
In 2017, the Berkeley College Republicans invited David Horowitz, Ann Coulter, and
Ben Shapiro to speak on campus. To their surprise, university administrators
imposed restrictions on these speakers that didn’t apply to other guest speakers. For
example, with respect to Ann Coulter, university administrators imposed a 3 p.m.
curfew on her speech and only allowed her to speak during “dead week,” which is the
week after the conclusion of instruction but before final exams when students are off
campus preparing for exams. The university also imposed exorbitant “security fees”
determined by the community’s reaction to the speech—a highly unconstitutional
practice known as the “heckler’s veto.” Ms. Dhillon sued Berkeley for violating the
First Amendment. As a result of her advocacy, Berkeley adopted lawful policies.
America First Legal exists to protect our citizens’ civil rights regardless of race, color,
sex, religion, or national origin. Therefore, we enthusiastically endorse Ms. Dhillon
as the next Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
Sincerely,
America First Legal Foundation
Read the letter here.
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