~ Veteran OAG attorney to lead the office’s work to expand and protect Virginians’ civil rights ~

RICHMOND (December 22, 2021)—Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced today that Mona Hafeez Siddiqui will serve as chief of the Office of Civil Rights within the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. Siddiqui has served in the OAG since 2015, and in the Office of Civil Rights since 2017, and recently completed a yearlong fellowship in Governor Ralph S. Northam’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as Deputy Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Policy Advisor for Immigration Integration. 

“The Office of Civil Rights was created to protect and expand the rights and freedoms of Virginians, and I know that Mona is the right person to lead this important work,” said Attorney General Herring. “Every Virginian has the right to be treated equally and to live their life free from discrimination.”

Siddiqui previously served for six years in the Office of Attorney General, including three years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Division of Human Rights where she investigated complaints alleging violations of the Virginia Human Rights Act and related state and federal civil rights laws, made findings of fact regarding instances of discrimination, and engaged in conciliation to resolve violations of civil rights. She was the lead investigator and attorney on the Office of Attorney General’s first ever investigation into racial discrimination in a Virginia public school system, and assisted in affirmative litigation in defense of Virginians’ civil rights, including challenges to the Trump Administration’s travel ban and its changes to so-called “public charge” regulations.

Siddiqui attended the University of Virginia, the University of Maryland School of Law, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has served her community on a variety of boards and commission, including the Virginia Poverty Law Center, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, Leadership Metro Richmond, and the Outreach Committee for the Islamic Center of Virginia.

The Office of Civil Rights was created by Attorney General Herring and made a permanent part of the AG’s Office through a law he introduced. The Office of Civil Rights works to expand and protect Virginians’ civil rights in many ways, including:

• Conducting Pattern or Practice Investigations to Identify and Eliminate Unconstitutional and Illegal Policing
• Combating LGBTQ and Gender-based Discrimination
• Combating Housing Discrimination
• Combating Employment Discrimination
• Addressing Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation
• Protecting the Rights of Expectant and New Mothers

The Office was created to centralize and enhance the work Attorney General Herring has done to secure, defend, and expand the rights of Virginians, including:

Under Attorney General Herring’s leadership, the Office of Civil Rights has grown to include thirteen staff members, including seven attorneys, after inheriting an office of just four employees, with only one attorney, when he first took office in 2014.

The Office of Civil Rights can be reached by phone at (804) 225-2292, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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