Indian-American US Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta will resign early in 2019

The US Department of Justice revealed this week that associate general Vanita Gupta, an Indian-American, would retire at the beginning of 2019. As the assistant attorney general, she was the first Indian-American to occupy the position.

After being confirmed by the US Senate in April 2021, Gupta assumed the position of third-highest ranking officer in the US Department of Justice.

As the first woman of color and civil rights lawyer to occupy this important position at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Gupta has supported the pro-choice cause and advocated for police reform.

“I really appreciate Vanita’s outstanding work as assistant attorney general. US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated in a statement released by the DOJ that “Vanita’s dedication to the pursuit of justice and her unwavering focus on bringing people together to find common ground has made her an incredibly effective leader in dealing with some of the most complex challenges facing the American people.” He said that Gupta was a “partner to the public” in addition to being a “partner to the career and non-career employees who work for her.”

Gupta is anticipated to leave her position in the beginning of February 2024.

In her statement, Garland acknowledged Gupta’s accomplishment and said that she oversaw the DOJ’s taskforce on reproductive rights to guarantee that legal protections for reproductive liberties are maintained. According to him, Gupta was crucial in supporting crime victims and preventing gun violence and violent crime. “The department’s attempts to develop a criminal justice system that protects individuals and upholds our principles have been made easier by Gupta. Additionally, she has prioritized work that focuses on its effect on people across all of the divisions under her direction, from the antitrust division to the environment and natural resources division,” the statement said.

Gupta has headed divisions dealing with natural resources and the environment, justice initiatives, violence against women, and community-focused police services. Along with leading on these topics, she has also promoted competitiveness and economic opportunity, expanded community violence intervention programs, protected the right to an unrestricted pregnancy, increased assistance for victims of gun violence and other crimes, and built trust between the police and the community.

In addition, Gupta worked for the Obama administration as the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) head of the Center for Justice and assistant attorney general for civil rights.

After earning a magna cum laude degree from Yale University, she attended New York University School of Law to study law. She spent many years as a civil rights litigation clinic instructor as well.