Brett Shumate Resigns as Head of Justice Department Civil Division

Brett Shumate has resigned as head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Monday in a post on X. Shumate held the title of US Assistant Attorney General and led the division that handles civil lawsuits involving the federal government.

Blanche said he accepted the resignation in the same announcement. He gave no reason for the departure and named no replacement. The announcement closed a tenure that began in June 2025, after the Senate confirmed Shumate on June 9, 2025, by a vote of 51 to 41, according to the Senate nomination record on Congress.gov.

What the Civil Division does

The Civil Division is the Justice Department team for civil court. Its lawyers handle lawsuits involving the federal government rather than criminal charges. Under Shumate, the division defended the administration in court fights over the El Salvador deportation flights, denaturalization cases, the mail ballot role for the Postal Service, and transgender rights cases. Those four areas, the flights, denaturalization, mail ballots and transgender rights, sat at the centre of the division's court work under Shumate.

The El Salvador flights

The deportation flights became one of the sharpest legal fights of Shumate's tenure. More than 130 men accused of belonging to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were sent last year to the CECOT prison in El Salvador. A federal judge had ordered the removals halted, and the planes landed anyway. Shumate was involved in the decision to let the flights land. He has led the administration defense as Chief Judge James Boasberg pursues a contempt investigation into the episode.

What Blanche credited to the division

In his announcement, Blanche credited the division under Shumate with a run of work for the administration. He said the division had "pursued important affirmative litigation to challenge sanctuary policies and delivered key wins in lawsuits against local policies that endangered federal law enforcement." Blanche also credited the division with securing settlements that ended corporate DEI practices and with shutting down clinics that provided gender affirming care to minors. He thanked Shumate for his service.

Other recent departures

Shumate's resignation follows other senior Justice Department departures in recent days, reported in the Reuters announcement coverage. Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division announced her resignation on Thursday. John Eisenberg, head of the National Security Division, has also resigned, and so has Jason Reding Quinones, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Blanche gave no word on who will lead the Civil Division next, and no reason for Shumate's exit was made public.