THE BUZZ: OUTSIDERS NO MORE — The powerful Civil Rights Division at the U.S Department of Justice will likely soon be led by three conservative Californians with experience fighting a common foe: the state’s Democratic establishment. Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates, who has routinely challenged state policies in court, announced Monday he would join the division as a deputy assistant attorney general. His selection follows the appointment of Harmeet Dhillon, a prolific litigator and Republican party official from San Francisco, as assistant AG over the division and Leo Terrell, a conservative talk radio host from Los Angeles, as senior counsel. These new roles flip the power dynamic between the California antagonists and their home state. No longer misfits challenging the California status quo, they're about to shape national policy on civil rights. “Harmeet is a Republican who lives in the Bay Area, so she is intimately familiar with the wackadoo things that California can do from time to time that violates people’s civil liberties,” said Jim Brulte, a former chairman of the California Republican Party who worked with Dhillon when she was state vice chair. Dhillon has battled the state over churches being forced to close during the pandemic and policies about when parents are notified if their child identifies as transgender at school. Gates has sued to overturn California’s landmark SB 54, which limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, and defended Huntington Beach’s local voter-ID requirement in court. Terrell, a regular fixture on Fox News, has skewered the state’s liberal politics on the airwaves for years, including its debates over reparations for Black people and criminal justice reforms. Dhillon’s nomination has stoked backlash from liberals concerned the DOJ will erode protections on voting rights and other safeguards for minority groups. Meanwhile, the right sees an opening for the division to further protect the rights of religious groups and the personal liberties of conservatives above government interests. For California, it will almost certainly mean more tussles with President Donald Trump’s DOJ over issues like discrimination against Jewish and white students on college campuses, the rights of parents with LGBTQ+ children and voter ID requirements. As culture warriors, Dhillon, Gates and Terrell are widely expected to embrace Trump’s agenda on those fronts. Gates, in a statement posted on X, said he was honored by the chance “to advance President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, fight to restore law and order throughout the country, and fight to restore faith in the nation’s justice system.” Gates and Terrell both declined a request for further comment. Dhillon, who also declined to comment, has not been confirmed by the Senate; she could face hearings as soon as March and should encounter little opposition in the GOP-held chamber. GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley, who teamed up with Dhillon to challenge Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic closures, said her division will be well positioned to put the Golden State on defense. “She understands as well as anyone the sweeping violations of civil liberties faced by so many Californians,” Kiley told Playbook. Democratic elected officials who’ve sparred with Dhillon and Gates, meanwhile, are not rushing to pick another fight. State Attorney General Rob Bonta said he’s being careful not to prejudge how the division will operate — but he’s also watching with caution. “We are open minded to what’s to come, and obviously not naive,” he told Playbook. “The civil rights division … has a long tradition and legacy of taking on discrimination and racism. I hope that that tradition will continue.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@politico.com and bjones@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| 
