President Biden Appoints Indian American Shakuntla L. Bhaya to the Council of Administrative Conference
- The first South Asian Indian to be admitted to the Delaware Bar Association, she has been working towards diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession and in politics.
President Biden has named Indian American lawyer Shakuntla L. Bhaya to the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States. The independent federal agency is charged with convening expert representatives from the public and private sectors to recommend improvements to administrative processes and procedures.
The first South Asian Indian to be admitted to the Delaware Bar Association, she has been working towards “diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession and in politics,” the White House said in a press release announcing the appointment. Co-owner of a statewide law firm, her “practice focuses on representing individuals who are seriously injured as a result of businesses and people making unsafe decisions.” She has been a member of Governor Carney’s Judicial Nominating Commission for the past seven years.
In addition to practicing law, she is involved in Delaware politics and is currently a member of the Delaware Democratic Party’s State Executive Committee. She is past president of the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association, and “continues to be involved in protecting consumers’ 7th Amendment Right to a jury trial and access to courts,” the White House said.
A member of the American Association for Justice and American Civil Liberties Union, she is involved in helping pro-choice democratic women become elected to office, as well as fighting for rights for the LGBTQ+ community and helping members of her community to adopt children, seek legal redress when discriminated in the workplace, and permit people to marry. Bhaya is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.