Sally Yates

Sally Yates
Born	August 20, 1960
Political Affiliation	Democrat

Events involving Sally Yates

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Background

Sally Quillian Yates is an American lawyer. She was a United States Attorney, later United States Deputy Attorney General, having been appointed to both positions by President Barack Obama, and later was Acting United States Attorney General.

Following the inauguration of President Donald Trump and the departure of Attorney General Loretta Lynch on January 20, 2017, Yates served as Acting Attorney General for 10 days. Trump dismissed her for insubordination on January 30, after she instructed the Justice Department not to make legal arguments defending Executive Order 13769, which temporarily banned the admission of refugees and barred travel from certain Muslim-majority countries (later to include North Korea) on the grounds that terrorists were using the U.S. refugee resettlement program to enter the country. The ban was politically labeled as a Muslim ban. Rather than defend it, Yates stated the order was neither defensible in court nor consistent with the Constitution. Though large portions of the order were initially blocked by federal courts, the Supreme Court ultimately upheld a revised version. Following her dismissal, Yates returned to private practice.