Trump DOJ Said to Remove Two Top Civil Rights Officials (1)

The Trump Justice Department has reassigned two senior civil rights officials overseeing the government’s litigating positions on transgender rights, police misconduct, affirmative action, and other anti-discrimination issues.

The Civil Rights Division’s appellate chief and her deputy both learned of their forced transfers late this week, said five people familiar with the moves. They become the latest DOJ career managers moved to a newly formed sanctuary cities enforcement working group that’s emerged in media reports this week as the repeat landing spot for department veterans targeted by the Trump administration for removal.

The civil rights supervisors managed a team of appellate lawyers filing briefs on social issues in which Trump’s pick to lead the division, Harmeet Dhillon, has staked out opposing views as a private attorney. Prior to her appointment, Dhillon, whose nomination awaits Senate confirmation, became known as a leading Trump culture wars warrior.

It’s not immediately clear if the appellate leaders will accept the transfers to the sanctuary cities office, resign, or sue the administration for allegedly violating civil service law, said the individuals, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel decisions.

The reassignments have rattled a DOJ civil service that was already alarmed over Trump’s executive actions targeting federal employee rights. That’s particularly acute in the civil rights division, where its anti-discrimination portfolio has long been politically divisive.

On Jan. 21, the new Trump-appointed DOJ chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, ordered a pause in all new civil rights division litigation filings in a memo reviewed by Bloomberg Law that was first reported by the Washington Post.

The sanctuary cities initiative is being established to identify and potentially challenge state and local policies that clash with Trump’s immigration agenda, DOJ’s new acting deputy attorney general wrote to employees Jan. 21.

The appellate section would have jurisdiction to advance new government views on the legality of diversity and inclusion programs, gender-affirming care, voter fraud, and more issues that have been common themes for Trump during the presidential campaign and in his first few days in office.

A DOJ spokesman declined to comment. The two impacted civil rights officials also didn’t comment. They’re both well regarded veteran civil rights attorneys, the individuals said.

The civil rights transfers also come as Politico and Reuters reported Friday that four career officials from DOJ’s environmental office were also told to take new sanctuary cities jobs.