Sally Yates
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| Sally Yates | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sally Yates |
| Caption | Sally Yates in 2017 |
| Birth date | 1960-05-20 |
| Birth place | Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia; University of Georgia School of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney; public servant; professor |
| Office | Acting United States Attorney General |
| Term start | 2017-01-20 |
| Term end | 2017-01-30 |
Sally Yates is an American lawyer and public official who served as Acting United States Attorney General and as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. She has worked in federal litigation, civil rights enforcement, and national security matters while holding positions in the United States Department of Justice, academia, and private practice. Yates has testified before the United States Senate and been involved in high-profile disputes with administrations, earning both praise and criticism from figures across the United States Congress, Supreme Court of the United States, and public policy communities.
Early life and education
Yates was born in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state) and raised in College Park, Georgia. She attended North Atlanta High School before matriculating at the University of Georgia, where she received a Bachelor of Arts. Yates earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law, participating in activities connected to the Georgia General Assembly and engaging with legal clinics tied to the Georgia State Bar. During her formative years she was influenced by local figures and institutions such as Zell Miller, Jimmy Carter, Civil Rights Movement, and regional legal traditions connected to Fulton County, Georgia and the Atlanta City Council.
Legal career and U.S. Attorney tenure
Yates began her legal career as a law clerk and later joined private practice before entering public service at the United States Department of Justice. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, working on prosecutions involving public corruption and white-collar crime linked to entities such as Fulton County, Waffle House investigations, and cases touching on matters related to Delta Air Lines and BellSouth. Yates later became the Deputy Attorney General for the State of Georgia, collaborating with officials in the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia and coordinating with federal partners including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
In 2010, Yates was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, overseeing a staff that handled matters spanning civil litigation against entities like Bank of America, criminal prosecutions involving figures connected to IRS controversies, and civil rights enforcement tied to cases referencing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Her office coordinated with the Southern District of New York, the United States Attorney General's office, and state prosecutors in complex prosecutions and multistate investigations.
Acting United States Attorney General and dismissal
On January 20, 2017, Yates became Acting United States Attorney General during the presidential transition between Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Shortly after, she issued Department of Justice guidance concerning enforcement priorities related to executive orders from President Donald Trump that implicated the Immigration and Nationality Act and travel restrictions affecting nationals from several countries including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Somalia. The guidance led to clashes with the White House and senior advisers such as Stephen Miller, Stephen Bannon, and Reince Priebus.
On January 30, 2017, President Donald Trump dismissed Yates after she directed the Department of Justice not to defend an executive order on immigration in litigation challenging removal and detention policies. The dismissal prompted responses from members of the United States Senate including Dianne Feinstein, Lindsey Graham, and Chuck Schumer, and public reaction from figures in the legal community such as former Solicitor General of the United States representatives and civil liberties organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Bar Association. Yates later testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her decisions and the handling of the executive order.
Post-government career and advocacy
After leaving the Department of Justice, Yates joined private practice at a major law firm and served in academic roles at institutions like Emory University and as part of programs with the Harvard Law School community. She delivered lectures at venues including the Brookings Institution, the American Constitution Society, and at events sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. Yates also engaged in public commentary on issues before the Supreme Court of the United States, testified in multiple congressional inquiries including hearings involving Russia investigation matters, and served on boards and advisory groups alongside figures from Human Rights Watch, the Brennan Center for Justice, and other civic organizations.
Her advocacy has addressed civil liberties linked to executive power disputes involving administrations such as those of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and engaged with policy debates involving the Patriot Act, surveillance reforms connected to National Security Agency practices, and prosecutorial ethics discussed in venues with the Federalist Society and the American Bar Association.
Notable cases and legal positions
During her tenure as U.S. Attorney, Yates supervised prosecutions and civil actions that included healthcare fraud cases tied to enforcement work involving the Department of Health and Human Services, mortgage and banking fraud cases related to the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and institutions like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, and public corruption prosecutions involving local officials in jurisdictions such as Fulton County and Gwinnett County. She prioritized civil rights enforcement in matters invoking the Civil Rights Act and supervised investigations into police practices that intersected with national conversations sparked by incidents in cities including Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland.
Yates took public legal positions emphasizing adherence to the United States Constitution, Department of Justice norms, and prosecutorial discretion in cases ranging from immigration enforcement to national security prosecutions involving cooperation with agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. Her refusal to defend the 2017 executive order led to litigation in federal courts across circuits including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and prompted Supreme Court filings, drawing commentary from legal scholars at institutions like Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and Stanford Law School.
Category:Living people Category:1960 births Category:United States Attorneys