Confirm Vanita Gupta, a champion of religious liberty, as Associate Attorney General
Dear Senate Committee on the Judiciary,
We are a group of Latter-day Saints from across the United States. While we are not speaking for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are writing in our capacity as people of faith. And we support Vanita Gupta’s confirmation as Associate Attorney General because of, not despite, our faith.
We are impressed by Ms. Gupta’s deep and abiding commitment to protect people of all faiths and none, to defend the American ideal of “out of many, one,” and to make sure the law is being enforced in a fair, just, and equitable manner. We note, particularly, that as head of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, Ms. Gupta made fighting religious discrimination a priority, partnering with 93 US Attorneys Offices and federal law enforcement offices to promote religious freedom, combat religious discrimination, and prevent and prosecute religious-based violence and hate crimes. As Ms. Gupta said when announcing the initiative, “Combating discrimination based on one’s religion remains fundamental not only to protecting our values but also to defending our freedom.” We note that the report she authored for the Department of Justice on religious discrimination specifically cited the persecution our community experienced in the 19th century as a reason the United States Congress enacted laws expressly prohibiting religious discrimination, making the First Amendment a stronger reality in our shared society.
Ms. Gupta has a particularly distinguished record in working with communities of faith in pursuit of criminal justice reform. She understands that faith communities play an important role in assisting citizens returning from incarceration, and shares with us the belief that America is a nation where redemption is possible.
We are also heartened by the praise and commendation Ms. Gupta has received from Republican officeholders. The Honorable Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, has described her as “someone with deep reverence for the Constitution and the rule of law.” Trey Grayson, a former Chair of the Republican Association of Secretaries of State, found his time working with Ms. Gupta on the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration to be “an honor” and that she was “balanced, measured, and fair-minded.” A bipartisan group of 71 former state attorneys general have praised her ability to build strong relationships with local leaders and creating coalitions of competency and mutual trust.
Ms. Gupta’s nomination is a fulfillment of President Biden’s promise to unify our country and serve as everyone’s president. Her confirmation will help ensure that our community, and all others, will have a strong advocate at the highest levels of the Department of Justice.
Respectfully,
Robert Taber, North Carolina
Rachael Clawson, Arizona
Jordan Morales, Idaho
William Meservy, South Carolina
Mark L. Shurtleff, Utah
Scott Howell, Utah
Kristine Haglund, Missouri
Scott Wright, Pennsylvania
Carol Evans, Utah
Mark Busby, Arizona
Vera Moore, Oregon
Bradley Slade, Utah
Renay Edwards, Arizona
Robert Henry, Utah
Jennifer Levanger, Idaho
Jay Brookman, Virginia
Carolyn Flint, Utah
Leah Steelman, North Carolina
Stephanie Lubshina, Illinois
Alicia Riddle, Utah
Nick Christensen, Arizona
Janice Cooley, Utah
Jeniele Bailey, Illinois
Marcus Stucki, Utah
Maxine Prestwich, California
Cynthia Richards, Utah
Christina Marriott, Colorado
Ann Royce, Utah
Kaitlyn Rowbotham, Utah
Julia Doutre, Washington
Linda Lundberg, Utah
Kay Stokes, Utah
Marjorie Rice, Utah
Betty Stokes, New Mexico
Sabrina McBride, Utah
Anne Cambridge, Arizona
Laura Worthen, California
Karen McCabe, Utah
Tiffany Smith, Utah
James Best, New York
Christina Marriott, Colorado
Alejandro Urrelo, California
Jeana Bacon, North Carolina
Elizabeth Pinborough, Utah
Amy Anaya, Washington
Randall Barney, Washington
Janie Bowen, North Carolina
Tia Haycock, Utah
Shannon Bailey , California
Judene Shelley, Utah
Brenda Lowry, Utah
Keith Rex, Oregon
Brian King, Oklahoma
Paulene Rita, California
Janeen Glenn, Arizona
Meg Edwards, Virginia
Scott Mumford, Texas
Amy Leishman, Utah
Janet Cook, Utah
J. L. Butler, Utah
Megan Park, Utah
Candace Cole-McCrea, New Hampshire
Lisa Kusick, California
Paul Bickmore, California
Fitzhugh Shaw, Colorado
Robin VanderRoest, Michigan
Shari Lindsay, Utah
James Furniss, Idaho
Becky Coombs, Utah
Jeanine Bean, California
Mary Jane Smith, Utah
Lisa T., Utah
Hugh Stocks, Arizona
Alana Dixson, Minnesota
Alex Sousa, Utah
Marjorie Rice, Utah
Michael Seipel, Utah
Olivia Dial, North Carolina
Gawain Wells, Utah
Trisha Beck, Utah
Danielle Barrani, Utah
Laura Elekdag, DC
Brenda Gowey, Arizona
Justin Robinson, Utah
Janice Hathaway, Utah
Ryan Curtis, Utah
Sondra Zenger, California
Laurence Yorgason, Utah
Nancy Anderson, California
Dianne and LeRoy Anderson, Utah
Emma Brown, Pennsylvania
John Oman, Utah
Sheryl Allen, Utah
Jodi Flint, Utah
Frank Atuahene, Ph.D, Georgia
Monica Giles, Utah
Amy Henderson, Maryland
Mary McClelland, Virginia
Janice Hathaway, Utah
Catherine Hill , Arkansas
Kenneth Nye, Utah
Linda Pullan, Utah
Carlene Smith Bush, Utah
Kathryn Ramirez, Utah
Anita Mortimer, Utah
Christopher Doner, Illinois
Jenny Longenecker, Utah
Jeannie Hunt, Arizona
Jeffrey Booth, Utah
Brian Butler, Utah
Helen Duncan, Connecticut
Burton Smith, Arizona
Matthew Carter, Nevada
Robert Whiting, Utah
Tamara Whiting, Utah
Aubrey Allen, Utah
Joseph Peterson, Utah
Jacob Rugh, Utah
Marcie Nelson, Utah
Kristine Haglund, Missouri
Shaylee Brown, Utah
Janiece Johnson, Utah
LeRoy Anderson, Utah
Natalie Gordon, Utah
Kashia Arnold, California
Gaylene Pheysey, Washington
Frances Kresge , Florida
Maryn Jenkins, DC
Ashton Spencer, Virginia
Amanda Leavitt, Utah
James Thorne, Utah
Tracy Ludington, UT
Tyler Laws-Mahe, California
Elliot Morris, Utah
Clay Cook, CA
Janet Welsh, Utah
Christopher Marohn, Arizona
Karin Thomas, Kansas
Richard Wilcox, Utah
Leslie Anglesey, Texas
Marie Burt, Utah
Rebekah Tiberend, Idaho
Kay Baldwin, Arizona
DeAnn Spencer, Minnesota
JoAnn Wilcox, Utah
Wendy Reiersen, Utah
Nick Christensen, AZ
Ann Royce, UT
Linette Roberts, Idaho
Ruby Findley, Texas
Rebecca Soto, WA
Kim Lewis, Idaho
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