Justice Department Hires 130 Lawyers for Civil Rights Division

The United States Department of Justice has recruited approximately 130 new lawyers to fill vacancies in its civil rights division. These hires follow the departure of more than 300 nonpolitical career employees after Harmeet Dhillon repurposed the unit to align with the agenda of President Donald Trump.

Critics and former officials allege the department is appointing hyperpartisan individuals with questionable professional backgrounds. Reported hires include a convicted election hacker, a former prosecutor removed from a murder case for viewing privileged documents, and lawyers with histories of far-right social media posts. Senator Peter Welch warned that deploying politically motivated individuals to poll-monitoring efforts threatens faith in the electoral process.

Department officials and spokesperson Kiersten Pels defended the appointments, stating the new hires are experienced trial lawyers and that the ideological shift reflects the current applicant pool. Notable appointments include Barry Arrington as acting chief of a new Second Amendment unit and Eric Neff as the temporary lead of the voting section.