Top DOJ Civil Rights Division Supervisors Said to Be Reassigned

Two top career supervisors in the Justice Department’s civil rights division have been temporarily reassigned to other offices, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to reshape the unit tasked with enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

Regan Rush, the chief of the division’s special litigation section, and Rebecca Bond, chief of its disability rights section, were recently detailed to the division’s Freedom of Information Act office and complaint adjudication office, respectively, according to people familiar with the transfers.

The special litigation section guards civil rights for people who are incarcerated and who interact with police and sheriff offices, among other missions, while the disability rights section enforces laws protecting the rights of those with disabilities.

Several other deputy chiefs within the division were also temporarily reassigned, the people familiar said. Members of the senior executive service aren’t allowed to be permanently reassigned within 120 days of the arrival of a political appointee.

The moves come as Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the newly installed political appointee leading the civil rights division, sets forth new priorities for the division, including guarding Second Amendment rights and fighting antisemitism on college campuses and the ability of transgender athletes to participate in certain sports.

Several career leaders left the division voluntarily earlier this month, including the leaders of the division’s education and appellate sections.

Dhillon, who was sworn in on April 7, previously represented President Donald Trump as his personal lawyer and is known for arguing conservative positions in cases involving religious liberty, treatment for transgender minors, and censorship on college campuses.

Last week, civil rights division employees were offered a second chance to accept a deferred resignation, which would allow those who accept to remain on paid leave and formally separate from the department by the end of September.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department didn’t immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.