Justice Department Investigating Mayor Brandon Johnson for Alleged Racially Motivated Hiring
20th May 2025
The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation into Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday over allegations of race-based discrimination, citing his recent remarks at a Woodlawn church in which he emphasized how many Black people he’s hired in his administration.
Johnson received a letter from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon saying there is “reasonable cause” to believe the mayor “made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race,” in potential violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The probe was the latest attack on Johnson, a freshman progressive mayor, from Republican President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House this year and began cracking down on liberal-leaning cities.
Dhillon’s letter quoted several examples of what she said suggested discriminatory hiring practices from the mayor’s Sunday panel with Bishop Byron Brazier of Apostolic Church of God. The appearance was part of a series of stops Johnson has been making on the South and West sides to shore up his Black voter base.