# DOJ official resigns after 19 months targeting colleges

> Harmeet Dhillon, DOJ civil rights chief, resigns after 19 months dismantling college diversity programs.
- Title: DOJ official resigns after 19 months targeting colleges
- Summary: Harmeet Dhillon, DOJ civil rights chief, resigns after 19 months dismantling college diversity programs.
- Keywords: doj, harmeet dhillon, civil rights division, university admissions, dei programs, college diversity, harvard university, university of virginia, Mother Jones
- Source: Mother Jones — https://motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/the-doj-official-who-spent-19-months-terrorizing-colleges-is-resigning
- Author: Sonel Cutler
- Published: 2026-11-05T19:23:25+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: doj, harmeet dhillon, civil rights division, university admissions, dei programs, college diversity, harvard university, university of virginia
## Harmeet Dhillon resigns
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, resigned after 19 months targeting colleges.
## Dismantled diversity programs
Dhillon undid years of diversity, equity, and inclusion work at more than 300 colleges through aggressive investigations and lawsuits.
## Targeted Harvard and UVA
Dhillon opened investigations at Harvard and University of Virginia that prompted Harvard’s president to resign.
## Harvard lawsuits dismissed
Federal judges dismissed both of Dhillon’s lawsuits against Harvard in six weeks.
## Resignation reason
Dhillon resigned because she did not get a promotion to a higher post within the DOJ.
## Key takeaway

Harmeet Dhillon resigned as DOJ civil rights official after 19 months dismantling diversity programs at over 300 colleges.