Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Applauds Diversity of DOJ Nominations
- Contact
WASHINGTON, DC — President-elect Joe Biden is expected to announce Judge Merrick Garland for Attorney General, Lisa Monaco for Deputy Attorney General, Vanita Gupta for Associate Attorney General, and Kristen Clarke for Assistant Attorney General at an afternoon press conference.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC President and Executive Director, John C. Yang, issues the following statement to applaud the selection of Gupta and Clarke as part of the proposed new leadership at U.S. Department of Justice.
“Through these nominations Biden is restoring confidence and leadership to the Department of Justice. Vanita Gupta is an outstanding trailblazer in the civil rights community. Advancing Justice – AAJC has worked alongside Vanita for the last three years when she became the first female and Asian American to head The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. With this nomination, Vanita would become the first Asian American and woman of color to serve as Associate Attorney General – making her the highest ranking Asian American at the U.S. Department of Justice in its history.
We are thrilled to see a child of immigrants step into such an important leadership position in the Biden-Harris Administration. She is a longtime champion of human and civil rights advocacy and understands what is at stake for the Asian American community and fellow communities of color as we all work to undo the harm done by the outgoing administration.
We applaud President-elect Biden for the nominations of Vanita Gupta to serve as Associate Attorney General and Kristen Clarke to serve in the role of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. We have worked side-by-side with both extraordinary women and their leadership and commitment to the protection of civil rights from protecting our right to vote and fighting for everyone to be counted in the 2020 Census to standing up against those trying to dismantle affirmative action or the constant attacks on immigrant rights.
We have confidence that this nominated team will work hard to rebuild, repair, and protect our civil and human rights.”