Former ACLU lawyer to lead US Justice Department civil rights unit

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

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.

.........

Gupta comes to the department as the No. 2 official in the civil rights division but will also fill the top role because current acting head Molly Moran was promoted. The move allows the department to essentially bring in a new head from the outside, which it usually does not do for acting appointments.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/former-aclu-lawyer-to-lead-us-justice-department-civil-rights-unit/

[Cha]

1. Thank you, kpete Sounds very promising.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Now, that decision sits well with me.

Hopefully it is a sign of good things to come.

[deurbano]

3. Agree with Cha.... sounds very promising!

[burrowowl]

4. Sounds good!

[sheshe2]

5. Excellent!

Thanks Kpete!

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Great catch, kpete. nt

[blogslut]

7. Ms. Gupta is the ACLU lawyer who

(along with Amarillo civil rights lawyer, Jeff Blackburn) fought for and won the release/exoneration of the Tulia drug bust victims.

I approve this appointment.

[Comrade Grumpy]

8. I've worked with Ms. Gupta. An excellent choice.

[msanthrope]

9. She is an excellent choice. nt

[Ampersand Unicode]

10. I just hope this appointment isn't lip service

Government CYA on civil rights/liberties issues, a way to say "well, we hired this person, with this track record, so we're in the clear." It sounds like Ms. Gupta is a solid choice, but a lot more needs to be done in the realm of civil rights.

It's encouraging that she's female too, and a POC. Doesn't mean we're all done fighting for more minority representation and diversity in government positions. It means that we're making progress and moving steadily down the road.

[KoKo]

11. Recommend...We shall see... n/t

[Corey_Baker08]

12. Sounds Extremely Promising...