he U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has directed its Civil Rights Division to halt ongoing litigation and refrain from initiating new cases as President Donald Trump embarks on a purge of federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in his first days in office.

This pause comes as Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican lawyer known for advocating conservative causes and serving as the GOP’s national committeewoman for California, awaits Senate confirmation to head the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

“They are trying to eradicate civil rights,” Khadijah Silver, supervising attorney for civil rights at Lawyers For Good Government, said on LinkedIn. “And we must not stand for it.”

The memo directs Civil Rights Division supervisor Kathleen Wolfe to ensure that attorneys avoid filing “any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest.” According to the memo, the pause is being enacted to “ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to […]