Osete Steps In at DOJ Civil Rights, Gun Lawsuits Press On
Jesus Osete is now acting head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division after Harmeet Dhillon's November 5 resignation, and he arrives with his name already on the division's Second Amendment lawsuits.
Snapshot
Osete served as Dhillon's principal deputy since August 2025 and is listed on affirmative gun-rights suits against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Virginia, California and the District of Columbia. He's also a pending nominee for a Missouri federal judgeship, though that seat doesn't open until May 2027, leaving no clear timeline for how long he'll run Civil Rights.
Key points
- Leadership change: Attorney General Todd Blanche accepted Dhillon's resignation November 5; Osete now serves as Acting Assistant Attorney General.
- Litigation ties: Osete's name appears as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General on the LA County carry-permit suit, the Virginia SB 749 "assault firearms" challenge, the California Glock-ban case, and the D.C. registration suit.
- Active docket: Those cases remain pending, meaning the division's Second Amendment Section, still led day-to-day by Acting Chief Barry Arrington, continues its work under Osete as acting head.
- Judgeship pending: Trump nominated Osete to the Western District of Missouri in August 2026; the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing September 30, but as of November 9 there's been no committee report or floor vote.
- No exit date: DOJ hasn't announced when Osete will leave Civil Rights, and even confirmation wouldn't open the Missouri seat until Judge David Gregory Kays takes senior status on May 11, 2027.
Quick take
For gun owners, the near-term picture is continuity: the lawsuits Dhillon's section filed over permit delays, state rifle bans and registration rules keep moving forward under someone who helped build them. Whether that holds depends on the Senate's pace on Osete's judgeship, not on anything DOJ has announced.
Read the full story: ammoland.com