In 1980, I was honored to work for St. John Barrett, a/k/a "Slim" Barrett who was the first Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights from 1957-1967. During 1980, I was his antitrust paralegal at the corporate law firm of Barnett, Alagia & Carey in Washington, D.C.
Read December 9, 2025 letter from former Civil Rights Division attorneys and employees;
The Destruction of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division: Why it Matters
December 9, 2025
For decades, the non-partisan work of the Civil Rights Division at the United States
Department of Justice (DOJ) has protected all Americans—especially the most
vulnerable—from unfair treatment and unequal opportunities. As former attorneys and
staff, we enforced our nation’s civil rights laws. We stopped illegal discrimination in
housing and the workplace. We ensured children could attend accessible and integrated
schools while protecting them from abuse at the hands of police or the juvenile justice
system. We fought against the mistreatment of people with disabilities and protected the
rights of incarcerated adults. And we defended the right of every eligible person to vote.
Many of us dedicated ourselves to this crucial work for years—some for decades—
under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Every election brought
changes, but the fundamental mission of our work remained the same. That’s why most
of us planned to stay at the Division following the 2024 election. But after witnessing this
Administration destroy much of our work, we made the heartbreaking decision to
leave—along with hundreds of colleagues, including about 75 percent of attorneys.
Now, we must sound the alarm about the near destruction of DOJ’s once-revered crown
jewel.
The Administration wants you to believe that career staff who fled the Division “were
actively in resistance mode” and “decided that they’d rather not do what their job
requires them to do.” That could not be further from the truth. We left because this
Administration turned the Division’s core mission upside down, largely abandoning its
duty to protect civil rights.
The Administration achieved this goal by discarding much of the Division’s most
impactful work. For example, Attorney General Pam Bondi dropped a lawsuit
challenging Georgia’s 2021 law that made it harder to vote, falsely claiming the Biden
Administration had “fabricated claims of . . . voter suppression.” She dismissed another
lawsuit alleging rampant sexual abuse and harassment of unaccompanied immigrant
children housed at Southwest Key Programs. Once confirmed as Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon withdrew findings reports and settlement
agreements that addressed unconstitutional and illegal policing in Minneapolis,
Louisville, and at least six other police departments across the country, disregarding
extensive evidence of wrongdoing. The Division’s sudden absence in these
communities—after years of thoroughly investigating and documenting systemic
discrimination—leaves them vulnerable to further abuse.
In addition to destroying much of the Division’s work, Attorney General Bondi issued a
series of memos that subverted the Division’s mission in favor of President Trump’s
political agenda. One stood out: it insinuated that DOJ attorneys were Trump’s personal
lawyers, an assertion that struck at the heart of the agency’s independence. Bondi’s
1demand to us was obvious: loyalty to the President, not the Constitution or the
American people.
Assistant Attorney General Dhillon focused her efforts on “driving [the Civil Rights
Division] in the opposite direction” of its longstanding purpose. She abruptly announced
new mission statements that included fighting diversity initiatives instead of race-based
discrimination, investigating baseless allegations of voter fraud rather than protecting
the right to vote, and dropping any mention of the Fair Housing Act, a landmark 1968
law that protects Americans from landlords’ racial discrimination and sexual
harassment. She and her politically appointed team also upended how we conducted
investigations. Rather than rigorously evaluating the evidence to pursue only the most
egregious cases, they demanded that we find facts to fit the Administration’s
predetermined outcomes.
Having no use for the expertise of career staff, the Administration launched a
coordinated effort to drive us out. It began with transferring four of the Division’s most
senior, experienced career leaders to a newly created “Sanctuary Cities Enforcement
Working Group,” where they were assigned menial work. It later reassigned six career
attorneys to an agency outside of DOJ and 12 more career attorneys within the Division
to work on presidential priorities unrelated to their expertise. The campaign to purge
staff culminated in Dhillon encouraging everyone to resign after a period of paid leave
while threatening layoffs if enough staff did not accept. With the offer still pending, she
demoted many of the Division’s career managers, reassigning them to roles processing
public information requests and internal employee complaints. Dhillon’s message was
clear: no one can protect the work; you are not wanted here.
Without the seasoned career experts it pushed out, the Division’s political leadership
has taken on far more litigation tasks on its own and struggled to do so competently. In
one case, a court lamented that a Division letter was “challenging to unpack” because it
“contain[ed] so many factual, legal, and typographical errors.” In another, a political
appointee could not explain basic facts, leading the judge to observe: “This exchange
does not reflect the level of diligence the Court expects from any litigant—let alone the
United States Department of Justice.” These types of chastisements would have been
unimaginable under prior administrations and undermine the Division’s hard-won
reputation for integrity.
America deserves better.
It is unsurprising that the Administration’s actions resulted in hundreds of employees
fleeing the Civil Rights Division. More will follow. Dhillon continues to subject the
Division’s remaining career staff to forced reassignments, arbitrary terminations, and
other unjustified actions. We are grateful to our colleagues who have stayed and still
seek to enforce our civil rights laws in a fair and nonpartisan manner, even as the
Administration tries to destroy the Division.
2The future of the Civil Rights Division is in jeopardy, and with it, the rights it protects. We
hope that one day we can return the Division to its righteous work. Until then, we will
continue to defend those rights and the Constitution wherever we find ourselves. We
call on all Americans to join us. Demand that the Division enforce our civil rights laws
and defend the Constitution’s promise of equal justice for all.
Sincerely,
Hannah Abelow
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2023-2025
Aziz Ahmad
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2015-2025
Debra J. Allen
Paralegal Specialist
Employment Litigation Section
1990-2025
Julianna Astarita
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Jonathan Backer
Attorney
Appellate Section
2021-2025
Roma Bala
Paralegal Specialist
Special Litigation Section
2024-2025
Anna Baldwin
Senior Attorney
Appellate Section
2010-2025
Ejaz Baluch
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2019-2025
Natasha Bansal
Paralegal Specialist
Disability Rights Section
2023-2025
Alyse Bass
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
1991-2025
Stephanie M. Berger
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2015-2025
Delia Berka
Paralegal Specialist
Disability Rights Section
2023-2025
Laura-Kate Bernstein
Trial Attorney
Criminal Section
2021-2025
Robyn K. Bitner
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Anna Bobrow
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2023-2025
Rebecca B. Bond
Chief
Disability Rights Section
2000-2025
3Viviana Bonilla López
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Barbara Kay Bosserman
Deputy Chief & Senior Legal Counsel
Criminal Section
2000-2025
Dr. Sarah Brinegar
Social Science Analyst
Voting Section
2008-2025
Thomas Brown
Paralegal Specialist
Voting Section
2023-2025
Tiffany Brown
Legislative & Policy Analyst
Policy & Strategy Section
2021-2025
Aurora Bryant
Senior Counsel for eLitigation
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
2015-2025
Meredith L. Burrell
Principal Deputy Chief
Employment Litigation Section
1999-2003 & 2008-2025
Tovah R. Calderon
Principal Deputy Chief
Appellate Section
2001-2025
Mathina Calliope
Writer-Editor
Policy & Strategy Section
2024-2025
Melissa Carrington
Senior Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2023-2025
Fathima Castillo
Paralegal
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2023-2025
Jorge M. Castillo
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2016-2025
Katie Chamblee-Ryan
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Claire Chevrier
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2021-2025
Young Choi
Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2021-2025
Frances Cohen
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2016-2019 & 2021-2025
David G. Cooper
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2012-2025
Acrivi Coromelas
Deputy Chief
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Jennifer Crane
Statistician
Employment Litigation Section
2009-2025
Ronda Cress
Attorney Advisor
Disability Rights Section
2024-2025
4Jodi Danis
Special Litigation Counsel
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
1999-2025
Jill Dash
Attorney Adviser
Policy & Strategy Section
2022-2025
Emma Davis-Rodak
Paralegal Specialist
Special Litigation Section
2024-2025
Katherine DeVar
Trial Attorney
Criminal Section
2017-2025
Krysten Diaz-Silveira
Paralegal Specialist
Disability Rights Section
2021-2025
Matthew Drecun
Attorney
Appellate Section
2023-2025
Ruth Enriquez
Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2024-2025
George Eppsteiner
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2016-2025
Beth A. Esposito
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
1995-2025
Rachel Evans
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2016-2025
Matthew Faiella
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2019-2025
Jennifer Fasulo
Trial Attorney
Criminal Section
2023-2025
Nicole Fennell
Supervisory Civil Rights Analyst
Voting Section
1990-2025
Laura Fentonmiller
Acting Chief Counsel
Office of the Chief Counsel
2012-2025
Melody Joy Fields
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Maggie Filler
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2022-2025
Sheila Foran
Special Legal Counsel
Policy & Strategy Section
1992-1999 & 2011-2025
Daniel J. Freeman
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2010-2025
Kelly Gardner
Deputy Chief
Educational Opportunities Section
2013-2025
Bruce Gear
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2001-2025
5Janelle Geddes
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2022-2025
Laurie Gelman
Attorney Advisor
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2005-2025
Nancy Glass
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2019-2025
Sofia Gonzalez
Paralegal Specialist
Special Litigation Section
2025-2025
Arusha Gordon
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Judy Gough
Legislative & Policy Assistant
Policy & Strategy Section
2006-2025
Julia M. Graff
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2015-2025
Jenna Grambort
Trial Attorney
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2016-2025
Rebecca Guterman
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2023-2025
R. Tamar Hagler
Chief
Voting Section
2000-2025
Hayley Hahn
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2024-2025
William Hanna
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2024-2025
Curtis Harris
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2020-2025
Jaclyn Harris
Senior Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2021-2025
Elizabeth Parr Hecker
Acting Deputy Chief
Appellate Section
2008-2013 & 2016-2025
Amanda Hine
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2011-2025
Tamara Hoflejzer
Trial Attorney
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2021-2025
Joy Holden
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2024-2025
Amelia Huckins
Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2020-2025
Anne Kathryn Jackson
Accessibility Specialist
Disability Rights Section
2015-2025
6Alisha Jarwala
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2022-2025
Sejal Jhaveri
Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2017-2025
Elizabeth Johnson
Senior Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
1992-2025
Maureen Johnston
Deputy Chief
Special Litigation Section
2015-2025
Emily Keller
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2016-2025
Trevor Kempner
Trial Attorney
Criminal Section
2023-2025
Patrick Kent
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2016-2025
Christine Kim
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2016-2025
Alexis Kloiber
Paralegal Specialist
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2023-2025
Maura M. Klugman
Deputy Chief
Special Litigation Section
2019-2025
Coreen Kopper
Trial Attorney
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2021-2025
Beth Kurtz
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2020-2025
Katherine Lamm
Acting Deputy Chief
Appellate Section
2014-2025
Charlotte Lanvers
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2014-2025
Max Lapertosa
Senior Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2008-2025
Alyssa Lareau
Trial Attorney
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2009-2025
Jillian Lenson
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2019-2025
Holly Lincoln
Director of Fair Housing Testing Program
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2008-2025
Erin Lotridge
Attorney Adviser
Disability Rights Section
2024-2025
Lauren Lovett
Attorney Adviser
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2021-2025
7Cameron Lynch
Paralegal Specialist
Disability Rights Section
2023-2025
Amanda Maisels
Deputy Chief
Disability Rights Section
2001-2025
Leslie Mansfield
Paralegal Specialist
Voting Section
2021-2025
Megan Marks
Deputy Chief
Special Litigation Section
2016-2025
Allena Martin
Trial Attorney
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2021-2025
Jimmy S. McBirney
Senior Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2023-2025
Brian McEntire
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2007-2025
Ernest A. McFarland
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
1995-2025
Valerie Meyer
Deputy Chief
Employment Litigation Section
2010-2025
Catherine Meza
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2010-2017 & 2021-2025
Erin Monju
Trial Attorney
Criminal Section
2022-2025
Jeremy Monteiro
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2015-2025
Lisa R. Moore
Supervisory Equal Opportunity Specialist
Employment Litigation Section
1995-2025
Kevin Muench
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2024-2025
Daria Neal
Chief
Policy & Strategy Section
2010-2025
Mellie H. Nelson
Supervisory Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
1987-2025
Zachary Newkirk
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2021-2025
Jonathan Newton
Deputy Chief
Educational Opportunities Section
2013-2025
Matthew Nickell
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2022 & 2023-2025
Sara Niles
Senior Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2001-2025
8Ellen Noble
Attorney
Appellate Section
2024-2025
Taryn Wilgus Null
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2015-2025
Aviva Nusbaum
Trial Attorney
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2023-2025
Abigail Olson
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2021-2025
Dana Paikowsky
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Neeta Pal
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Navin Pant
Deputy Chief
Educational Opportunities Section
2015-2025
Ranit S. Patel
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Autumn Payne
Lead Civil Rights Analyst
Voting Section
2003-2025
Amanda Brooke Pearlstein
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2022-2025
Eric Peffley
Trial Attorney
Criminal Section
2014-2016 & 2017-2025
Beth Pepper
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2010-2025
Mariel Perez-Santiago
Trial Attorney
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
2023-2025
Joel Ploski
Paralegal Specialist
Appellate Section
2023-2025
Jessica Polansky
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2014-2025
Kelsey Pormasdoro
Paralegal Specialist
Special Litigation Section
2022-2025
Lauren Putnam
Investigator
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Julia Quinn
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2019-2025
Jenna Raden
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2020-2025
Anisa Rahim
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2023-2025
9Kit Rees
Investigator
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Mehveen Riaz
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2020-2025
Erin Meehan Richmond
Senior Trial Attorney & Sexual Harassment
Counsel & Coordinator
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2001-2025
Maria H. Rios
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2000-2025
Bonnie I. Robin-Vergeer
Chief
Appellate Section
2014-2025
Jennifer Robins
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2017-2025
Dena Robinson
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2020-2025
LeighAnn Rosenberg
Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2021-2025
Mary Rosenberg
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2023-2025
Alberto Ruisanchez
Chief
Immigrant & Employee Rights Section
1996-1998 & 2002-2025
Regan Rush
Chief
Special Litigation Section
2010-2025
John A. Russ IV
Deputy Chief
Voting Section
1999-2025
Elizabeth Ryan
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2012-2025
Corey M. Sanders
Senior Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2007-2025
Lisa Sandoval
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2019-2025
Luis Saucedo
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2001-2025
Lily Sawyer-Kaplan
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2024-2025
Elizabeth Saxe
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2022-2025
Mathew Schutzer
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2016-2021 & 2023-2025
Barbara Schwabauer
Attorney
Appellate Section
2010-2025
10Sharion Scott
Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2021-2025
Amy Senier
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2016-2025
Shan Shah
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2020-2025
Nicholas Sheehan
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Nathan Shulock
Trial Attorney
Housing & Civil Enforcement Section
2021-2025
Shaheena Simons
Chief
Educational Opportunities Section
2007-2025
Natane Singleton
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2013-2025
Nabina Sinha
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2010-2025
Janie Sitton
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
1995-2001 & 2010-2025
Kelli Slater
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2023-2025
Rachel Slywczak
Paralegal Specialist
Special Litigation Section
2024-2025
KateLyn Smith
Supervisory Investigator
Special Litigation Section
2007-2009 & 2015-2025
K’Shaani Smith
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2020-2025
Venishea Smith
Investigator
Educational Opportunities Section
2021-2025
Patricia Stasco
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2008-2025
Sarah Steege
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2020-2025
Shayna Stern
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2020-2025
Kristin Stitcher
Deputy Chief
Disability Rights Section
2017-2025
Kyle Stock
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2020-2025
Christine Stoneman
Chief
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2000-2025
11Jennifer M. Swedish
Deputy Chief
Employment Litigation Section
2009-2025
Ali Szemanski
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2022-2025
Laura Cassidy Tayloe
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2016-2025
Kate Thompson
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Allan K. Townsend
Senior Trial Attorney
Employment Litigation Section
2010-2018 & 2021-2025
Katie Towt
Attorney Advisor
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2014-2025
Kaitlin Toyama
Attorney Advisor
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2021-2025
Samantha Trepel
Special Litigation Counsel
Criminal Section
2002-2004 & 2009-2025
Ethan Trinh
Investigator
Special Litigation Section
2019-2025
Maggie Turner
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2023-2025
Matthew Underwood
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2021-2025
Haley Van Erem
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2015-2025
Aria Vaughan
Senior Trial Attorney
Educational Opportunities Section
2015-2025
Helen Vera
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2019-2025
Sophie C. Vick
Investigator
Special Litigation Section
2023-2025
Lindsey Weinstock
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2015-2025
Joy Levin Welan
Deputy Chief
Disability Rights Section
2009-2017 & 2019-2025
Elizabeth S. Westfall
Deputy Chief
Disability Rights Section
2010-2025
Victor Williamson
Trial Attorney
Voting Section
2010-2025
Kathleen P. Wolfe
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
2003-2025
12Karen Woodard
Chief
Employment Litigation Section
1997-2025
Gloria Yi
Deputy Chief
Federal Coordination & Compliance Section
2016-2025
Jean M. Zachariasiewicz
Trial Attorney
Special Litigation Section
2022-2025
Nicole Kovite Zeitler
Trial Attorney
Disability Rights Section
2016-2025
Marisela Zubia
Paralegal Specialist
Disability Rights Section
2023-2025
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