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Civil Rights Champion Vanita Gupta to Receive GLAD Law’s 2026 Spirit of Justice Award 

Gupta has shaped US civil rights law and policy, secured justice for the most vulnerable, and continues to provide prescient leadership to advance equality and protect democracy 

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ legal rights organizations, will present its 2026 Spirit of Justice Award to Vanita Gupta – a lawyer, leader, and tireless champion for justice whose career has been defined by a singular conviction: that civil rights struggles are inseparable, and that the communities most targeted by injustice are also the most powerful force for defending democracy and the rule of law. From her work at the Department of Justice to her current advocacy on behalf of civil rights organizations navigating an era of authoritarian overreach, Gupta has united advocates across causes, amplified their collective power, and shown what becomes possible when movements recognize their shared strength. Gupta will receive the Spirit of Justice Award at the Annual Spirit of Justice Award Dinner in Boston on November 6.

The Spirit of Justice Award recognizes individuals whose courage, vision, and impact embody the fight for justice.  

“Whether securing justice for the wrongfully convicted, holding police departments accountable, or advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ people at the highest levels of government, Vanita has repeatedly demonstrated what it means to use the law as it was intended: as a shield for those in need and a sword against injustice. That is the spirit of justice we are proud to honor,” said Ricardo Martinez, GLAD Law’s Executive Director. “Vanita’s work reflects a deep dedication to advancing equality for marginalized people, and it’s a privilege for GLAD Law to recognize her transformative contributions to LGBTQ+ rights and broader civil liberties.” 

Gupta has dedicated her career to ensuring our country fulfills its promise of equal justice under the law and to strengthening the democratic principles underlying that ideal. Her work addresses our most pressing human and civil rights issues: criminal justice and policing reform, racial justice, community safety, voting rights, environmental justice, gun violence prevention, reproductive rights, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights.  

Currently, Gupta is the inaugural Director of the Center for Law and Public Trust and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NYU School of Law, where her work focuses on reimagining and rebuilding institutions of American democracy. 

Prior to that, she served as Associate Attorney General from 2021-2024 – the first woman of color to hold the position. As the third-ranking official at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Gupta was instrumental in formulating and implementing the Biden-Harris administration’s legal and civil rights agenda, including broad protections for, and advocacy on behalf of, LGBTQ+ people, and led efforts on improving police-community trust, reproductive rights after Dobbs, environmental justice, mental health, and gun violence prevention.  

Gupta first served at DOJ under President Obama, leading the Civil Rights Division from 2014-2017 and overseeing major work on policing reform – including investigations of police departments in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Chicago; voting rights, and LGBTQ+ equality. Under her leadership, the DOJ filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of a transgender woman who alleged employment discrimination at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and challenged North Carolina’s 2016 law HB2 for discriminating against transgender individuals in public accommodations. 

Aside from her DOJ service, Gupta has done influential work at leading civil rights organizations. She began her career at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where she helped exonerate 38 people wrongly convicted in a discriminatory drug sting in Tulia, Texas, securing their release from prison in 2003 and negotiating a landmark $6 million settlement. She went on to serve as Deputy Legal Director and Director of the Center for Justice at the ACLU, managing litigation and leading the organization’s Smart Justice Campaign to promote bipartisan justice reform. After serving in the Obama administration, Gupta became President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where she focused on the 2020 census, voting rights and election administration, federal courts, criminal justice reform, and COVID relief. 

Now in its 27th year, the Spirit of Justice Award Dinner is GLAD Law’s flagship event. Past Spirit of Justice Award recipients include Jennifer Finney Boylan, Kylar Broadus, Chai Feldblum, the plaintiffs in GLAD Law’s landmark Goodridge v. MA DPH marriage lawsuit, the Honorable Eric H. Holder Jr, Tony Kushner, Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall, Shannon Minter and Jennifer Levi, Bishop Gene Robinson, Nadine Smith, Urvashi Vaid, and Phill Wilson. The 2025 honoree was Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California.