Sally Yates facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sally Yates
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| Acting United States Attorney General | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – January 30, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Herself |
| Preceded by | Loretta Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Channing D. Phillips (acting) |
| 36th United States Deputy Attorney General | |
| In office January 10, 2015 – January 30, 2017 Acting: January 10, 2015 – May 13, 2015 |
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| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | James M. Cole |
| Succeeded by | Rod Rosenstein |
| United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia | |
| In office March 10, 2010 – January 10, 2015 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | David Nahmias |
| Succeeded by | John A. Horn (Judiciary Appointed) |
| In office Acting: July 1, 2004 – December 1, 2004 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | William S. Duffey Jr. |
| Succeeded by | David Nahmias |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sally Caroline Quillian
August 20, 1960 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Comer Yates |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Georgia (BA, JD) |
Sally Quillian Yates (born Sally Caroline Quillian; August 20, 1960) is an American lawyer. She held important roles in the Justice Department. From 2010 to 2015, she was the top federal prosecutor for the Northern District of Georgia. In 2015, President Barack Obama chose her to be the United States Deputy Attorney General, the second-highest job in the Justice Department.
After President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, Yates became the acting United States Attorney General for 10 days. President Trump fired her on January 30, 2017. This happened after she told the Justice Department not to defend a new rule, called Executive Order 13769. This rule temporarily stopped refugees and travelers from certain countries from entering the U.S. Yates believed the order was not legal or fair. Even though parts of the order were first stopped by courts, a changed version was later approved by the Supreme Court.
After being dismissed, Yates went back to working as a private lawyer. She was considered for the Attorney General position in the Biden administration.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sally Yates was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, John Kelley Quillian, was a lawyer and a judge. Her mother, Xara "Mickey" Quillian, was an interior designer. Sally's grandmother was one of the first women allowed to practice law in Georgia.
Yates went to Dunwoody High School. She then studied at the University of Georgia, earning her first degree in journalism in 1982. In 1986, she earned her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. She graduated with high honors. While in law school, she was a leader for the Georgia Law Review, a legal magazine.
Career in Law
In 1986, Sally Yates became a licensed lawyer in Georgia. She worked at a law firm in Atlanta called King & Spalding from 1986 to 1989. There, she focused on business lawsuits.
Federal Prosecutor
In 1989, Yates started working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. Early in her career, she worked on cases involving financial fraud and political corruption. In 1994, she became the head of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section. She was a lead prosecutor in the case against Eric Rudolph, a terrorist responsible for bombings in the southern United States. She moved up to First Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2002 and then Acting U.S. Attorney in 2004. She held leadership roles in the U.S. Attorney's office under both Republican and Democratic presidents.
President Barack Obama nominated Yates to be the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. The Senate approved her on March 10, 2010. She was the first woman to hold this position in that district. During her time as U.S. Attorney, she also served as Vice Chair of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee.
Deputy Attorney General
On May 13, 2015, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Sally Yates as the United States Deputy Attorney General. This is the second-highest job in the Justice Department. During her approval hearing, she was asked if she would ever refuse a president's unlawful orders. She said she would always follow the law and the Constitution. She served under Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
As Deputy Attorney General, Yates was in charge of the daily operations of the Justice Department. This department has about 113,000 employees. In 2015, she created a policy, known as the "Yates memo," which focused on prosecuting company leaders for corporate crimes. Before the Obama administration ended, she oversaw the review of many requests for executive clemency, which means reducing or ending someone's punishment.
Acting Attorney General
In January 2017, Sally Yates agreed to be the acting Attorney General for the new Trump administration. She started on January 20, 2017, and served until a new Attorney General was approved.
On January 5, 2017, Yates and other top intelligence officials met with President Obama. They discussed matters related to Russia. Days later, Yates warned the Trump administration that National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had not been honest about his talks with Russia. She also said he could be blackmailed by Russian intelligence. Her warning was not acted upon right away. However, it was later reported publicly, and Flynn resigned within hours.
On January 27, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13769. This order limited travel to the United States from seven countries. Even though the Justice Department's legal team had approved the order, Yates told the Justice Department not to defend it. She believed the order was not lawful. She wrote a letter to Justice Department staff, saying:
At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities of the Department of Justice, nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful...I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution's solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right. For as long as I am the acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of th[is] executive order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so.
In an article published in New York Times in July 2017, Yates shared her concerns about President Trump's influence on the Justice Department. She wrote that the department's investigations must be free from political interference.
Dismissal
After Yates announced her decision not to defend the travel order, the Trump administration immediately dismissed her. She was replaced by Dana Boente, a U.S. Attorney. For a few hours that evening, Channing D. Phillips served as acting Attorney General. After Boente took office, he ordered the Justice Department to enforce the executive order.
The White House stated that Yates had "betrayed the Department of Justice" by refusing to enforce a legal order. They also called her "an Obama administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration."
Reactions to Dismissal
Some legal experts thought Yates should have resigned instead of telling the Justice Department not to defend the order. They called it "insubordination." However, many other legal experts praised Yates for standing up against what they saw as an unconstitutional order. They also felt that Trump's words about "betrayal" were too strong.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder supported Yates's decision. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called her actions "a profile in courage." Representative John Conyers criticized the decision to fire her, saying it was like government was a "reality show."
Law professor Jonathan Adler argued that Yates should have resigned. He said he wasn't aware of any time the Justice Department had refused to defend a lawful executive action just because it wasn't "wise or just." It was reported that Yates considered resigning but chose not to, so her successor wouldn't face the same difficult choice.
The editors of National Review said her defiance was "inappropriate." They believed that if an official disagrees with a law or policy, they are free to resign.
Some people compared Yates's dismissal to the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre during the Watergate scandal. In that event, two top Justice Department officials resigned rather than fire a special prosecutor. However, journalist Carl Bernstein said there was a big difference. He noted that the Saturday Night Massacre was about firing an Attorney General when the president was being investigated. He believed President Trump had the right to fire the Attorney General.
Representative Jackie Speier nominated Yates for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Georgia State Senator Elena Parent also praised Yates.
Testimonies
House Intelligence Committee
In March 2017, Yates was asked to speak before the House Intelligence Committee. This was part of their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
Later that month, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration tried to stop her from testifying. They said her testimony about Michael Flynn might be protected by presidential privilege.
The public hearing where Yates was supposed to testify was canceled. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the White House had not tried to stop Yates from testifying and hoped she would.
Senate Judiciary Committee
On May 8, 2017, Yates and James Clapper testified for three hours before the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. They spoke about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Yates said the FBI interviewed Michael Flynn on January 24, 2017. Because of that interview, she urgently asked to meet with White House Counsel Don McGahn. She met with him twice and told him that Flynn was "compromised" and could be blackmailed by the Russians. She explained that Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
After the Justice Department
After leaving the Justice Department, Yates taught at Georgetown University Law Center. She also returned to her old law firm, King & Spalding, in Atlanta. Her work there focuses on investigations.
Yates gave a speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In September 2020, she was named a member of the advisory council for the Biden-Harris Transition Team. This team planned for Joe Biden's presidency. In November, Yates was considered for Attorney General in the Biden administration, but Merrick Garland was chosen instead.
In October 2021, the United States Soccer Federation hired Yates to lead an investigation into abuse claims by players in the National Women's Soccer League. The report, published in October 2022, found widespread abuse and unprofessional behavior in the league. It also noted that some teams and leaders tried to interfere with the investigation.
Honors
In January 2016, Yates received an award from Emory University School of Law. After her dismissal as Acting Attorney General, Representative Jackie Speier nominated her for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Georgia State Senator Elena Parent also introduced a resolution praising Yates. In April 2017, Yates received the Mary Church Terrell Freedom and Justice Award from the Detroit NAACP.
In Film
Holly Hunter played Sally Yates in the 2020 TV miniseries The Comey Rule.
Personal Life
Sally Yates's husband, J. Comer Yates, is the executive director of the Atlanta Speech School. They have two children, a daughter named Kelley Malone and a son named James "Quill" Quillian.
Yates is a member of the Democratic Party. She worked in the Justice Department under both Democratic and Republican presidents. When she was appointed Deputy Attorney General in 2014, she was seen as well-respected and not overly political. After she left the Justice Department, some Democrats in Georgia wanted her to run for governor in 2018, but she decided not to.
Yates has spoken about mental health awareness. She has shared how her father struggled with depression and how this inspired her to advocate for others.
See also
In Spanish: Sally Yates para niños
