News & Commentary written by Vanita Gupta

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Vanita Gupta

Center for Justice

Bio

Vanita Gupta was Deputy Legal Director of the 桃子视频 and Director of the ACLU鈥檚 Center for Justice, which houses the organization鈥檚 criminal justice reform, prisoners鈥 rights, and capital punishment work. She lead the ACLU鈥檚 National Campaign to End Mass Incarceration. In addition, Vanita is an adjunct clinical professor at NYU School of Law, where she teaches and oversees a racial justice litigation clinic.

From 2006-2010, Vanita was a staff attorney with the ACLU鈥檚 Racial Justice Program, focusing on systemic criminal justice reform, immigration detention, and education litigation. She won a landmark settlement on behalf of immigrant children detained in a privately-run prison in Texas that led to the end of 鈥渇amily detention鈥 at the facility. Prior to joining the ACLU, Vanita was at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund where she successfully led the effort to overturn the wrongful drug convictions of 38 individuals in Tulia, Texas, and served on the legal team that won freedom for renowned prison journalist Wilbert Rideau in his fourth retrial after he had already spent 44 years in prison. She also successfully won significant sentence reductions for several men subject to harsh New York Rockefeller drug penalties.

Vanita has won numerous awards for her advocacy and has been quoted extensively in national and international media on racial justice and criminal justice issues. In 2011, the National Law Journal recognized her as a Top 40 Minority Lawyer Under 40. She serves on the board of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana. Vanita is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law.


Featured work

Apr 19, 2012

Fighting for Too Much Justice

Fighting for Too Much Justice

Dec 20, 2011

Criminal Justice Reform 2011 鈥 The Good, the Bad, and the Work Ahead

Criminal Justice Reform 2011 鈥 The Good, the Bad, and the Work Ahead

Aug 9, 2011

A Way Toward Balancing Government Budgets While Promoting Justice: Break Our Addiction to Incarceration

A Way Toward Balancing Government Budgets While Promoting Justice: Break Our Addiction to Incarceration

Jun 1, 2011

The 40-Year War on Drugs: It's Not Fair, and It's Not Working.

The 40-Year War on Drugs: It's Not Fair, and It's Not Working.

Jan 6, 2011

Georgia Prison Strike an Outgrowth of Nation's Addiction to Incarceration

Georgia Prison Strike an Outgrowth of Nation's Addiction to Incarceration

Aug 4, 2010

From Incredible to Inevitable: How the Politics of Criminal Justice Reform May Be Shifting

From Incredible to Inevitable: How the Politics of Criminal Justice Reform May Be Shifting

Apr 12, 2010

End Policing for Profit

End Policing for Profit

Nov 20, 2009

Achieving the Ideals Embodied in the CRC

Achieving the Ideals Embodied in the CRC