Civil Rights Attorney Vanita Gupta Becomes First-Ever Woman of Color Associate Attorney General

Yesterday, the Senate had narrowly voted to confirm Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general. She was confirmed by a vote of 51 to 49, with only one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, to join the Democratic party. She had apologized to her Republican colleagues for her previous “harsh rhetoric,” but it was only enough to swing one vote. Gupta elevated from a longtime civil rights attorney to the third-highest position inside the Justice Department, as well as being the first woman of color to serve. In Gupta’s new role, she will oversee the department’s civil rights litigation as well as its antitrust, civil, and environment divisions.

Vanita Gupta is expected to play a leading role in the department’s work to police the police alongside Attorney General Merrick Garland. On Wednesday, one day after the charges against Derek Chauvin, Garland announced an investigation into possible patterns of discrimination and excessive force by the city’s police force. Gupta stated “the experience and the skill necessary to advance our administration’s priorities to root out unconstitutional policing and reform our criminal justice system.”

Source: NPR