Indian-American Vanita Gupta nominated as associate attorney general

THE US president-elect Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Vanita Gupta as the associate attorney general. Judge Merrick Garland likely to be the next attorney general of the US.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Gupta would be the highest ranking Indian-American in the Department of Justice, and will be the first woman of colour to serve in this role.

Biden also nominated Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.

"Our first-rate nominees to lead the Justice Department are eminently qualified, embody character and judgment that is beyond reproach, and have devoted their careers to serving the American people with honor and integrity,” said Biden.

Gupta, 46, is currently serving as president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

She is a former acting assistant attorney general and one of the most respected civil rights attorneys in America.

According to a statement, she is a successful consensus builder on tough issues, with years of experience on managing complex settlements and advocacy experience.

Formerly, she was a civil rights lawyer and the Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, where she oversaw its national criminal justice reform efforts.

Prior to that, she was Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Throughout her career, she has drawn support from a wide range of liberal and conservative activists, as well as law enforcement leaders, for building collaborative support and finding common ground on policing and criminal justice reform.

Gupta was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Indian immigrant parents. She received her BA degree magna cum laude from Yale University and JD degree from New York University School of Law in 2001.

Gupta is married to Chinh Q. Le, legal director of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. They have two sons.