Biden Lauds Indian-Origin Lawyer, Says Her Nomination Deserves To Be Confirmed

US President Joe Biden said the two lawyers he nominated for US Justice Department deserve to be confirmed. One of them is Indian-Origin lawyer Vanita Gupta.

Biden said that Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke are "eminently qualified and highly respected" and added that they have spent their whole career defending racial equity and justice.

Vanita Gupta, 46, was nominated for the post of Associate Attorney General in the US Justice Department. If her nomination gets confirmed, she will make history by becoming the first woman of colour to hold that position. An Associate Attorney General is the third-highest ranking official in America's Justice Department. Read all about her here.

Joe Biden made these remarks in his public address after the verdict of former cop Derek Chauvin who was convicted for the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday. Biden said that along with the law enforcement, America's federal government also needs to step up. He added that the leadership appointed in the current Justice Department are "fully committed to restoring trust between law enforcement and community they are sworn to serve and protect.

He added, "I have also nominated two key Justice Department nominees - Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke - who are eminently qualified, highly respected lawyers who have spent their entire careers fighting to advance racial equity and justice."

Biden said that Vanita and Kristen both have the experience and skill necessary for the position and to advance America's administration priorities to "root out unconstitutional policing", "reform our criminal justice system". He said that "they deserve to be confirmed."

Last week the voting in the US Senate for Vanita Gupta's appointment was postponed. There was an elaborate debate on her nomination as the US Republican party members did not share the same views as Joe Biden. The Republicans claimed that Gupta is an "extreme partisan advocate" and they also raised concerns over her old tweet which criticised the Republicans.