Trump taps Sikh attorney Harmeet Dhillon for DOJ role, points to her work defending Christians
A California civil rights attorney known for defending churches during the coronavirus shutdown could soon be working in a top legal position in the Trump administration.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he has nominated Harmeet K. Dhillon, the former vice chair of the California GOP, as the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice.
If confirmed by the Senate, Dhillon, 55, would play a key role in enforcing voting rights and protecting civil liberties in the U.S. — a track record of Dhillon's which Trump highlighted in his announcement.
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"Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers," Trump said in a statement.
The president-elect also expressed confidence in Dhillon's abilities, saying, "Harmeet is one of the top election lawyers in the country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted. In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our constitutional rights, and will enforce our civil rights and election laws FAIRLY and FIRMLY."
In her post on X, Dhillon expressed gratitude for the nomination.
"I am extremely honored by President Trump's nomination to assist with our nation's civil rights agenda," she wrote. "It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers."
"I would not be here today without my amazing mother and brother's support, and my beloved father Tejpal and husband Sarv, who did not live to see this day," she added. "I hope I will honor their memories, with God's grace."
Dhillon, a practicing Sikh born in India, has long been a prominent figure in both legal and political circles. She represented California on the Republican National Committee and has been a strong advocate for free speech and religious freedoms.
A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, she also clerked for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In her legal career, Dhillon gained significant attention for her work on behalf of conservative clients, including the Berkeley College Republicans and a Google engineer fired after criticizing the company's diversity policies. She also led multiple lawsuits in 2020 against the state of California challenging COVID-19 policies, including stay-at-home orders and mail-in ballots.
After running unsuccessfully for chairperson of the Republican National Committee, Dhillon served as RNC National Committeewoman for California and Western Region Vice Chairwoman of the RNC.
Since her move to the United States as a child with her parents, Dhillon has been a vocal member of the Sikh community and made history in 2016 as the first Indian-American to deliver a Sikh prayer at the Republican National Convention.
She delivered a similar prayer in 2024 at the convention, which included the statement, "Dear Waheguru, our one true God," and drew mixed reactions from conservative Christians. The prayer came just days after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
"I come from a family of Sikh immigrants, and I'm honored to share with you, my fellow Republicans and guests tonight, a prayer from my faith and tradition practiced by over 25 million worldwide," she told the crowd before covering her head with a traditional religious covering.
When asked about her Sikh prayer, Dhillon told The Christian Post she "has sat through thousands of prayers of other denominations over the years" and believes her prayer was part of a key effort to "get as many votes as possible from Jews, from Sikhs, from different kinds of Christians, Hindus, Muslims" ahead of the November election.
"I think it is important that I communicate to my community that we are welcome in this party, and our votes are welcome, and our support is welcome. Our candidacies are welcome, and we are welcome," she said. "And how do you make that clear? And I think one of these ways to do that is to show that there are people of our faith on the stage and that we are welcome."
