Fired Googler gets civil rights lawyer

The engineer who was fired by Google after he criticized the company’s diversity policies for ignoring differences between the sexes has hired civil rights lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, who was widely reported months ago to be a contender for a top job in the U.S. Justice Department.

Dhillon confirmed Wednesday that she is representing James Damore, who has said he plans to sue his ex-employer over his firing. He set off a firestorm this month with a 10-page memo blasting Google’s “left bias” for creating a “politically correct monoculture.”

Dhillon was on President Trump’s short list to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in March, according to press reports. The president ended up nominating employmentmanagement attorney Eric Dreiband in June.

Her firm is also seeking other potential plaintiffs who feel they have been discriminated against at Google based on their political views or their opinions about the company’s hiring practices.

Dhillon has taken on other cases that push back against the Bay Area’s progressive tendencies. In one, she represents the California Bail Agents Association fighting a class-action lawsuit alleging that San Francisco’s bail system discriminates against poor people who can’t afford to post bond while awaiting trial in criminal cases.

Damore’s memorandum argued that biological differences play a role in the shortage of women in tech and leadership positions. It circulated widely inside the company and then became public, causing a furor that amplified the pressure on Google executives to take a more definitive stand.