Vanita Gupta - Defender of the Poor and the Weak in USA

Vanita Gupta

In Feb. 2006, The Indo American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) organized a reception in Houston, Texas, featuring Winner of the Prestigious 2004 Reebok Human Rights Award "Vanita Gupta"

Ms. Vanita Gupta received her law degree from New York University School of Law, where she served as the Colloquium Editor of the Review of Law and Social Change and was awarded a Vanderbilt Medal for Public Service and the Anne Petluck Poses Prize for her death penalty and juvenile rights-based clinical work.

Prior to attending Law School she graduated from Yale University with degrees in History and Women's Studies.

Ms. Gupta gained national prominence when she successfully led the effort to overturn the convictions of 38 wrongfully convicted defendants in Tulia, Texas. She organized over a dozen national law firms in this fight and coordinated legal and media strategy. Working with co-counsel, she also recently settled civil rights cases filed on behalf of the Tulia defendants for $6 million.

She has appeared on the NBC Today Show, CBS Evening News, CNN, PBS Lehrer News Hour, Court TV, MSNBC, and National Public Radio.

Other Prestigious Awards

• The Upakar Foundation Community Ambassador Award
• The National South Asian Bar Association's "Attorney of the Year" Award
• The India Abroad Publisher's Award
• The Drug Policy Alliance's Gerald Le Dain Justice Award
• The American Red Cross "Rising Star" Award