Vanita Gupta Associate Attorney General: Indian-American Vanita Gupta was appointed associate attorney general of the United States on Wednesday in a narrow 51-49 vote. She is now the first woman of colour to serve in this role, Gupta was nominated by US President Joe Biden in January this year.
According to CNN, the senate confirmed 46-year-old Gupta for the post after Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined with Democrats in support of Biden's Justice Department nominee.
"Congratulations to Vanita Gupta on making history as the first woman of color 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," Biden tweeted after the confirmation.
Earlier, Biden had said that he nominated "eminently qualified and highly respected" Indian-origin Gupta to the Justice Department as she had spent her whole career defending racial equity and justice. Now, Gupta will take charge as the third-ranking official at the powerful Department of Justice. Read all about her here.
Gupta is also the first woman to helm the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. When nominated last year, she took to Twitter and wrote, “I am honored to return to a Justice Department that will push every day for justice, accountability, and equality under the law. It will not be enough to simply restore what has been undermined or lost. This moment demands bold leadership, and that is what we will bring.” She has served in Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under the Obama administration.
A former acting assistant attorney general and a respected civil rights attorney in America, Gupta further added, “I look forward to again working alongside the exceptional women and men at the Justice Department who every day defend the Constitution, enforce our federal laws, and seek to create a more perfect union with deep integrity and without political interference.”
Biden, in his remarks on Tuesday, on the verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, said that the State, the law enforcement, America’s federal government also needs to step up. He added that the leadership appointed in the current Justice Department are “fully committed to restoring trust between law enforcement and community they are sworn to serve and protect." Read all about her here.
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