The US Senate has appointed prominent Indian-American civil rights lawyer Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general, making her the first person of colour to hold the third-highest position at the Department of Justice.
“She will bring a long-overdue perspective to our federal law enforcement agency,” Senate Majority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer, said, pointing out that Gupta.
Vanita Gupta began her legal career at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund after graduating from New York University School of Law in 2001. After investigating a series of drug-related convictions and arrests of several men in Tulia, Texas, she rose to national prominence. Almost all of the men who were found guilty were black. She was able to show that the allegations were all made up by a drug agent called Tom Coleman. In 2003, Rick Perry, the then-Governor of Texas, pardoned 35 of the men as a result of her case.
She later served as a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she focused on fostering cooperation among law enforcement authorities, advocates, stakeholders, and elected officials in order to improve the criminal justice system in the United States. She went on to become the ACLU's Deputy Legal Director and Director of the Center for Justice.
President Barack Obama designated her as Acting Assistant Attorney General and head of the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division in 2014. Gupta led many criminal and civil enforcement campaigns during the Obama administration to help protect the rights of LGBTQI+ people, victims of human trafficking, and victims of hate crimes, as well as ensure voting rights for everyone and equal opportunities in housing, jobs, and lending.
She campaigned to end mass incarceration at the American Civil Liberties Union and won a landmark settlement on behalf of immigrant children against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that ended family detention at the facility.
President Joe Biden nominated Gupta for Associate Attorney General, the Department of Justice's (DOJ) third highest-ranking position, in January of this year. He called this Indian American "one of America's most respected civil rights lawyers in America."
"Congratulations to Vanita Gupta on making history as the first woman of colour to serve as associate attorney general. Now, I urge the Senate to confirm Kristen Clarke. Both are eminently qualified, highly respected lawyers who are dedicated to advancing racial equity and justice," President Joe Biden said.
Gupta is also the first civil rights lawyer to serve at one of the top three positions at the Department of Justice.
"Vanita Gupta is the daughter of Indian immigrants who came to the US with only eight dollars and a dream. She has become one of the foremost civil rights advocates in the country and will effectuate our highest ideals of justice as associate attorney general," said Neil Makhija, executive director of IMPACT, a leading Indian-American advocacy group.
"We are deeply proud of Vanita Gupta, knowing that she will be a stalwart champion for all Americans and in particular communities that have been marginalised. At a time when we see assaults on our voting rights and a rise in hate crimes, our country needs a champion for civil rights like Vanita Gupta at the highest levels of the Justice Department," he said.
Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said Gupta has broken through barriers her entire career in a life-long commitment fighting for the civil rights of every individual in the country, especially those from marginalised communities.
"It is no surprise she is making history yet again, this time as the first civil rights attorney and woman of colour to serve as associate attorney general. Now she must quickly get to work alongside Attorney General Garland, repairing the Justice Department's deeply tarnished reputation and restoring its role as chief enforcer of our civil rights," Henderson said.
"We are at a pivotal moment in our nation's history, an inflection point at which we are rebuilding and defending democracy at the same time. As a long-standing champion of civil rights, Vanita Gupta is exactly the person we need to help lead the Justice Department and advance equal justice for all," said Damon Hewitt, acting president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
"She has an extensive and unassailable record when it comes to integrity and expertise in the administration of justice, and in advocating for the rights of people of colour- traits that are sorely needed at this moment to bring independence and integrity back to the Justice Department," he said.
