DOJ Civil Rights Division Lost 75% of Lawyers, Dropped Police Reform and Discrimination Cases, HRW Reports

A Human Rights Watch report found the Justice Department's civil rights team lost three-quarters of its lawyers by early 2026. It abandoned police reform deals with Louisville and Minneapolis and dropped or reversed about 70 discrimination cases. HRW called it a coordinated gutting of federal civil rights enforcement. The 112-page report relied on former officials and court records.