Justice Department Announces Completion of Civil Rights Reform Agreement With Orange County District Attorney

Washington, D.C.; December 26th, 2025

The United States Department of Justice has announced the completion of a civil rights reform agreement with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in California, concluding a federal oversight process aimed at addressing constitutional concerns related to the use of custodial informants in criminal prosecutions.

According to the Department of Justice, the agreement, formally titled the Agreement for the Sustainability of Custodial Informant Reforms, was entered into earlier in 2025 and focused on ensuring that prosecutorial practices within the Orange County District Attorney’s Office complied with constitutional requirements, including the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and the Fourteenth Amendment right to due process of law.

The Justice Department stated that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office implemented and sustained reforms to its internal policies, training programs, information systems, and auditing procedures governing the use of confidential informants. These reforms were designed to prevent the use of custodial informants in ways that could compromise defendants’ constitutional protections during criminal proceedings.

As outlined by the Department, the agreement required the District Attorney’s Office to adopt clear guidelines for informant use, improve documentation and tracking of informant activity, and enhance oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance. The Department of Justice reported that these measures were successfully put into place and maintained, leading to the formal conclusion of the agreement.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated that the completion of the agreement reflects sustained efforts by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to strengthen the integrity of its prosecutions and reinforce public trust in the criminal justice system. The Department emphasized that the reforms addressed specific civil rights concerns identified during its review and that the steps taken met the objectives established under the agreement.

The Justice Department noted that the agreement followed a period of federal review and collaboration with local prosecutors, during which the District Attorney’s Office worked to align its practices with constitutional standards. The Department confirmed that, based on its assessment, the required reforms were fully implemented and sustained over time.

With the agreement now concluded, the Department of Justice stated that federal oversight related to this matter has ended. The announcement underscores the Department’s role in enforcing civil rights protections within the criminal justice system and its authority to work with state and local jurisdictions to remedy practices that raise constitutional concerns.

The Department of Justice emphasized that civil rights reform agreements are intended to promote long-term compliance rather than temporary adjustments, and that the successful completion of this agreement demonstrates how sustained reforms can address identified deficiencies while preserving the independence of local prosecutorial offices.

Sources

Primary First-Hand Sources

• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Office of Public Affairs, official announcement titled “Justice Department Announces Completion of Civil Rights Reform Agreement With Orange County District