‘In addition to race, I would see religious discrimination and other forms of discrimination on campuses as an appropriate target for the Civil Rights Division,’ Dhillon said.
Harmeet Dhillon, the attorney nominated to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, said in her confirmation hearing on Wednesday that corporations that use diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) racial quotas could be prosecuted under federal civil rights law.
In an exchange with Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Dhillon was asked about a 2023 initiative from retail corporation Target to hire 20 percent more black employees, in what Schmitt said was an “overt racial quota system” prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
“Senator, if the facts are as you just described them, I believe that practice is illegal and unconstitutional,” Dhillon said. As head of the Civil Rights Division, Dhillon would be charged with enforcing federal civil rights law and bringing prosecutions against public and private entities that violate it.
