This appointment, in my estimation, not only would expand diversity in the U.S. Department of Justice but also virtually guarantee a continuation of a fair, comprehensive investigation into myriad civil rights violations committed by law enforcement agencies in Ferguson, Missouri and other cities small and large across the country. It would also help cement exiting Attorney General Eric Holder's legacy as a veritable advocate for civil rights.
Ms. Gupta's bona fides in civil rights advocacy are both strong and diverse. If you're looking for encouragement in the civil rights advocacy issue I urge you to read Ms. Gupta's Bio.
Vanita Gupta is Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union and Director of the ACLU’s Center for Justice, which houses the organization’s criminal justice reform, prisoners’ rights, and capital punishment work. She is leading the ACLU’s National Campaign to End Mass Incarceration. In addition, Vanita is an adjunct clinical professor at NYU School of Law, where she teaches and oversees a racial justice litigation clinic.
From 2006-2010, Vanita was a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program, focusing on systemic criminal justice reform, immigration detention, and education litigation. She won a landmark settlement on behalf of immigrant children detained in a privately-run prison in Texas that led to the end of “family detention” at the facility. Prior to joining the ACLU, Vanita was at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund where she successfully led the effort to overturn the wrongful drug convictions of 38 individuals in Tulia, Texas, and served on the legal team that won freedom for renowned prison journalist Wilbert Rideau in his fourth retrial after he had already spent 44 years in prison. She also successfully won significant sentence reductions for several men subject to harsh New York Rockefeller drug penalties.
Vanita has won numerous awards for her advocacy and has been quoted extensively in national and international media on racial justice and criminal justice issues. In 2011, the National Law Journal recognized her as a Top 40 Minority Lawyer Under 40. She serves on the board of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana. Vanita is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law.
There's no doubt that approaching civil rights from the broad perspective of being both a woman and a part of a minority in this country significantly enhances her qualifications for this job.
The Reuters story comes to us via Raw Story: Former ACLU lawyer to lead US Justice Department civil rights unit
A former lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union will assume a top civil rights post at the U.S. Justice Department, taking control of a unit that is deep into investigations into the Ferguson, Missouri police department and battles over voting rights.
Vanita Gupta, who was the deputy legal director of the ACLU, will become the acting assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil division, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. The White House is also expected to nominate her to formally lead the unit, a person familiar with the discussions said.
The division has been without a confirmed head for more than a year, after the former top official, Thomas Perez, was approved to become Labor secretary.
The Senate rejected President Barack Obama’s choice to replace him, Debo Adegbile, in March amid an uproar over legal work Adegbile once did for Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer.
The move allows the department to essentially bring in a new head from the outside, which it usually does not do for acting appointments.
Whereas, Eric Holder's initiative has seemingly been weak regarding the big banks and Wall Street, upholding civil rights has been the cornerstone of his tenure. He's effectively placed the civil rights division on the front lines against law enforcement's rampant use of excessive force when dealing with minorities. He's also concentrated heavily on blocking many state voter ID laws before and after the 2012 presidential election, likening them to Jim Crow-style poll taxes.
I don't think I'm alone in thinking that if Eric Holder had concentrated as much on prosecuting Wall street and the big banks as he has on both civil and voter rights he would qualify as one of the best Attorney Generals of all time.
Gotta give credit where credit's due.
And in closing... always keep in mind...
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Please donate to the
ACLU if you're so inclined. They need all the help they can get.