About:

Vanita Gupta is an experienced leader and litigator who has devoted her entire career to civil rights work.

Most recently, from October 15, 2014, to January 20, 2017, she served as Acting Assistant Attorney General and Head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Appointed by President Barack Obama as the chief civil rights prosecutor for the United States, Gupta oversaw a wide range of criminal and civil enforcement efforts to ensure equal justice and protect equal opportunity for all during one of the most consequential periods for the division.

Gupta graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law, where later she taught a civil rights litigation clinic for several years.

She is married to Chinh Q. Le, legal director of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, and has two young sons.

Relevant Media

• “Armed Agents Are Allowed in Ballot-Counting Venues, Justice Dept. Tells Prosecutors” in The New York Times
• “11. Post-Election Analyis: Did We Have a Fair Election? (with Vanita Gupta)” on On the Issues With Michele Goodwin by Ms. Magazine

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