Huntington Beach Attorney Behind Voter ID Law Defense Appointed to DOJ Civil Rights Division

Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates, who defended the city’s local voter ID law from a challenge by California Democratic officials, was appointed to be the deputy assistant attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division.

Gates announced the news in a social media statement, saying that he would work “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.”

He also reflected on what the city of Huntington Beach accomplished under his tenure, specifically that they “successfully ushered in, and successfully defended in court, the State’s very first local VOTER ID law.”

In March 2024, Huntington Beach voters approved a local initiative allowing the city to require voters to show ID when voting in municipal elections. The measure is set to go into effect in 2026.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber (D) sued the city in April, arguing the policy conflicted with state election law.

They said in their lawsuit that “California maintains a uniform and robust legal scheme for protecting the rights of eligible voters.”

In September, while litigation was ongoing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law banning local governments from enacting local voter ID requirements.

Then, in mid-November, a state judge dismissed the state’s case, and Gates, who represented the city in court, expressed his support for the outcome.

“[T]he Court’s rejection is right. While we anticipate this fight isn’t over, we are pleased with the Court’s fair and just evaluation of the weakness of the State’s legal case,” Gates said in a statement. “It’s always an honor to fight for Huntington Beach, for the integrity of our elections systems, and for just outcomes under the law.”

Like Gates, Trump also advocated for strict voter ID policies in California. Last month, Trump said he would withhold aid for the Los Angeles wildfires unless the state adopted a voter ID requirement. 

Voter ID laws negatively impact numerous groups, especially people of color, who are significantly less likely to have a valid, non-expired driver’s license than their white counterparts. 

These requirements also affect married and divorced women whose last name on their ID may not match the name on their voter registration form, as well as college students, people with disabilities and elderly voters.

Gates has been the city attorney for Huntington Beach since 2014, and soon, he will serve under Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s nominee for the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, who is expected to be confirmed soon. 

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is the branch of the department tasked with enforcing civil and constitutional rights for Americans including voting and election law, so whoever runs it can either reinforce or roll back voting rights.

Like Gates, Dhillon has a history of targeting voting rights as she and her law firm were involved in more than a dozen anti-voting lawsuits across the country over the past few years. These include cases challenging voting rights laws, redistricting and election processes.

A few weeks ago, Trump’s DOJ ordered its civil rights division to halt a majority of its functions, including a freeze on pursuing new cases, indictments or settlements for the time being.

Correction: The initiative voters approved in March allows the city to require voter ID; it doesn’t implement a voter ID requirement itself.