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Vanita Gupta leads NYU Law center to rebuild public confidence
The former U.S. Associate Attorney General will lead NYU Law’s new Center for Law and Public Trust, focused on restoring confidence in American institutions through reform, leadership, and accountability.
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Anushka Pathak - Fri, 31, Oct 2025
- 15:46 EDT
- 14
Former U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta / Courtesy: NYU School of Law
New York University School of Law has launched the Center for Law and Public Trust, led by former Indian American attorney and civil rights leader Vanita Gupta, to strengthen democratic institutions and rebuild public confidence in American governance.
The center aims to address historic lows in institutional trust by advancing research, policy innovation, and leadership training.
As the former U.S. Associate Attorney General, Gupta brings extensive public service experience, including oversight of civil rights enforcement at the U.S. Department of Justice between 2021 and 2024.
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NYU Law dean Troy McKenzie praised Gupta’s leadership, saying, “Ever since she joined our community as a distinguished scholar in residence, I have been struck by Vanita’s energy, her dedication to her students, and her constructive approach to addressing the times in which we find ourselves. This new center will be an enormous asset to both our community and to our country at large.”
Gupta said the center’s goal is to move beyond documenting institutional failures to exploring practical reconstruction. “Trust in American institutions—government, courts, and even civil society—has steadily eroded and now stands at historic lows,” she said.
“Our focus will be on thinking about how to rebuild institutions that have been so core to our democracy, and doing that in a forward-looking way,” she added.
The initiative will produce issue briefs, policy roadmaps, and innovation labs to model institutional reform and examine leadership qualities needed to restore trust.
Gupta identified deep-rooted causes of distrust—ranging from perceived corruption and political bias to inequality and misinformation. “Americans across the political spectrum view institutions in this country as fundamentally corrupt and rife with abuse,” she noted. “People are concerned about politically motivated enforcement, growing inequality, erosion of fundamental rights, and a breakdown of ethical values in public service.”
The center’s work ties closely to Gupta’s long-standing focus on civil rights and democratic resilience. “Without credible and effective institutions and leaders, the promise of equal justice and democratic governance—and even public safety under law—just rings hollow,” she said.
Gupta emphasized a bipartisan approach, noting that distrust transcends political divides. “While we seem to be polarized right now in so many ways, distrust in our public institutions and leaders is shared across the political spectrum,” she stated. “This center will strive to be deeply critical, unmoored by any partisan assumptions.”
Reflecting on her career, Gupta highlighted her collaborative approach to reform. “Throughout my career, I have worked with progressives and conservatives to advance criminal justice reform,” she said. “The best ideas can emerge or can stick when we break down silos and invite people in who challenge us.”
A key component of the program will be leadership training for lawyers preparing for institutional roles. “It is striking to me that so many lawyers in our country go on to lead institutions with little to no intentional management or leadership training,” Gupta said. “I hope to offer that to NYU Law students, young lawyers, and mid-career lawyers.”
Gupta earned her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Yale University before obtaining her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 2001, where she later served as an adjunct professor and distinguished scholar in residence, and during which she held her tenure as U.S. Associate Attorney General from 2021 to 2024.
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