DOJ civil division’s leader resigning 

Joseph Hunt, the head of the civil division of the Department of Justice, announced his resignation Tuesday, according to a staff memo obtained by several media outlets.

Hunt’s resignation marks the third departure from the Justice Department in the past week. 

Hunt was previously chief of staff to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and it is unclear why he stepped down from his post. 

The news of the official’s departure comes after he signed on to a lawsuit Monday suing President Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton over the scheduled publication of his book. He is reportedly scheduled to leave his post on July 3. 

The lawsuit alleges that Bolton’s book is “rife with classified information.” 

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Hill about Hunt’s resignation. 

As head of the civil division, Hunt has defended several of the administration’s policy decisions in court, including the president’s push to include a citizenship question on the census and its decision to no longer defend the Affordable Care Act in court.

The division has also defended Trump in lawsuits brought against the president alleging that his personal businesses have illegally profited from his time in office. 

According to the department’s website, each year, the civil division “represents the United States and its agencies, Members of Congress, Cabinet Officers, and other federal employees in tens of thousands of cases. In total, the Civil Division litigates matters on behalf of over 100 different federal agencies.”

Hunt’s resignation follows that of Brian Benczkowski, head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, and Solicitor General Noel Fransisco, both of whom are poised to exit the department in the next two months.