Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who oversees the Department of Justice’s effort to sue states with conservative abortion restrictions, will resign from the Biden administration, according to an announcement by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday.
Gupta, who previously served in the Obama administration as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and as CEO of the “Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights,” a coalition of left-wing activist groups, was the head of the department’s Reproductive Rights Taskforce, which was established after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade to defend abortion rights by monitoring state laws against the procedure. On Thursday, Garland released a statement notifying the public of Gupta’s intent to resign from her position in February, while praising her for her work. (RELATED: Vanita Gupta, Former Obama DOJ Official And Civil Rights Lawyer, Narrowly Confirmed As Associate Attorney General)
“Vanita stood up and has led the Department’s Reproductive Rights Taskforce to defend the reproductive freedoms that are protected by federal law,” wrote Garland. “She has facilitated the Department’s efforts to advance a criminal justice system that keeps people safe and reflects our values.”
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta on DOJ lawsuit against Texas over voting rights violations:
“The attorney general has made clear that the Justice Department will not stand idly by in the face of unlawful attempts to restrict access to the ballot.” pic.twitter.com/59i7WGr9Jz
— The Recount (@therecount) December 6, 2021
Under Gupta’s leadership, the department has worked to defend against conservative litigation that seeks to roll back restrictions on abortion, most recently in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, where a district court in Texas originally enjoined authorization for the contraceptive drug “mifepristone,” which is used to induce a chemical abortion in the early weeks of pregnancy. That case was granted certiorari by the Supreme Court on Wednesday following a petition from the department, among others, with Gupta releasing a statement that “[w]e are glad that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this important case…[t]he Justice Department will not cease its efforts to defend the FDA’s authorities and expertise in this area.”
As Associate Attorney General, Gupta was the third-highest-ranked officer of the United States in the Department of Justice, behind Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. Her portfolio included oversight of the department’s anti-trust, environmental and natural resources, tax and civil divisions.
“There are many agencies in our federal government – but only one which bears the name of a value. By virtue of that name, that value of justice, we know the Department carries a unique charge and North Star,” Gupta wrote in a tweet on Jan. 8, 2021, prior to her taking office. Gupta was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in 2021, by a vote of 51-49 — with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting in favor — in a 50-50 Senate.
“Unlike previous nominees that have received bipartisan support, there is not a single person on this side of the aisle that believes that Ms. Gupta is fit to serve as the third-in-command at the Department of Justice,” said Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas while her nomination was being originally considered.
The role of Associate Attorney General has never had a permanent appointee serve longer than three years and has mostly been held by acting officials. Gupta’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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