Today, we celebrate the confirmation of Vanita Gupta as the next Associate Attorney General. Gupta will be the first woman of color and the first civil rights attorney to serve in the role. Vera Institute of Justice President Nicholas Turner issued the following statement in support of her confirmation:

“Ms. Gupta has the integrity, commitment to the rule of law, and experience working with those most impacted by the justice system necessary to serve at the highest levels of the U.S. Department of Justice. Her special understanding of how the U.S. justice system can negatively impact entire communities and her ability to build meaningful partnerships are especially critical in the current moment of public reckoning with racial and social justice.

We trust Ms. Gupta’s record and know she will hit the ground running in her new role to make the Department of Justice’s work fairer for all.”

About the Vera Institute of Justice:

The Vera Institute of Justice is a justice reform change agent. Vera produces ideas, analysis, and research that inspire change in the systems people rely upon for safety and justice. Vera collaborates with the communities most impacted by these systems and works in close partnership with government and civic leaders to implement change. Across projects, Vera is committed to explicitly and effectively reducing the burdens of the justice system on people of color and frames all work with an understanding of our country’s history of racial oppression. Vera is currently pursuing core priorities of ending the misuse of jails, transforming conditions of confinement, providing legal services for immigrants, and ensuring that justice systems more effectively serve America’s increasingly diverse communities. Vera has offices in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; New Orleans, and Los Angeles.