Vanita Gupta makes history as first Indian-American to hold the office of associate attorney general

The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Indian American lawyer Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general in the justice department. Gupta, President Joe Biden's nominee, was confirmed in a narrow 51-49 vote with Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, joining the Democrats in her support.
Gupta, 46, has now made history to become the first Indian American and first woman of colour to hold the third highest-ranking position in the US department of justice. The Indian American Impact Fund, an organisation that supports and endorses people of Indian origin in the US to run for political and public offices, has congratulated Gupta on her historic confirmation.
"Vanita Gupta is the daughter of Indian immigrants who came to the US with only eight dollars and a dream. She has become one of the foremost civil rights advocates in the country and will effectuate our highest ideals of justice as associate attorney general," said Neil Makhija, executive director of IMPACT.
"We are deeply proud of Gupta, knowing that she will be a stalwart champion for all Americans and in particular communities that have been marginalised. At a time when we see assaults on our voting rights and a rise in hate crimes, our country needs a champion for civil rights like Gupta at the highest levels of the justice department," Makhija said.
Born to Indian immigrant parents and raised in the Philadelphia area, Gupta received her bachelors' degree from Yale University and her professional law degree from New York University. She has had a long and illustrious career of fighting for civil rights and started her legal career in the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a high profile non-profit legal organisation. She then became an assistant attorney general for civil rights in the administration of President Barack Obama.