Sally Yates in 2020 Vice Presidential prospects
On Immigration:
Refused to defend 2017 Muslim ban; dismissed as AG
Sally Caroline Yates (nee Quillian; born 1960) is an American lawyer. She served as a United States Attorney and later United States Deputy Attorney General, having been appointed to both positions by President Barack Obama.Following the inauguration
of Donald Trump and the departure of Attorney General Loretta Lynch on January 20, 2017, Yates served as Acting Attorney General for 10 days. She was dismissed for insubordination by President Trump 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. Rather than defend it, Yates stated the order was neither defensible in
court nor consistent with the Constitution. Large portions of the order were subsequently blocked by federal courts, though the Supreme Court ultimately upheld a revised version. Following her dismissal, Yates returned to private practice.
Source: Wikipedia background for 2020 Veepstakes
Apr 25, 2020
On Civil Rights:
Not fighting racism is ruinous to moral fiber of America
Sally Yates warned that the "moral fiber" of America is in danger from the "unapologetic racism" President Trump has unleashed in his attacks on four minority congresswomen.In a pair of tweets, the former Justice Department official quoted Edmund
Burke and warned that those who did not stand up to Trump over his slams on the four lawmakers would bear responsibility for enabling them.
She tweeted: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' Edmund Burke.
Standing idly by as the moral fiber of our country is shredded by unapologetic racism may seem politically expedient to some, but it is ruinous for our nation. And those who could have stood up but cowered instead bear equal responsibility for the vile
devolution of our country's values.
The House voted on mostly party lines Tuesday to condemn as racist the president's tweets aimed at Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Rashida Tlaib (MI.) and Ayanna Pressley (MA).
Source: The Hill on Twitter postings for 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 18, 2019
On Immigration:
Refused to defend unconstitutional Muslim ban
Trump's Muslim ban was immediately challenged at which point Trump demanded that Yates defend His Executive Order. Yates could have quietly resigned. Instead, after thoroughly studying the EO, she refused, telling the resident that his
Executive Order failed to pass Constitutional muster, and that she would not ask DOJ attorneys to go to federal court to support what she deemed to be an unconstitutional exercise of Executive power.
Source: DailyKos.com blog on 2020 Veepstakes
Mar 11, 2019
On Immigration:
Muslim travel ban violates religious freedom
[When the Trump administration imposed the travel ban from Muslim countries] Yates thought that two arguments against the order were particularly strong. Because it gave preferential treatment to Syrian Christians, it arguably violated the Establishment
Clause of the First Amendment. And, because the ban denied entry both to visa holders and to legal residents, there seemed to be serious due-process questions.Yates gathered a dozen Trump staff; she recalled saying, "I'm troubled about this from a
constitutional standpoint--but what's the defense to this?" She wasn't impressed by the argument, made by some officials, that the order had nothing to do with religion.
[She concluded that BOJ must], "go into court on something as fundamental as
religious freedom. This is a defining, founding principle of our country: religious freedom. How can the Department of Justice go in and defend something that so significantly undermines that, when we're not convinced it's true?"
Source: Ryan Lizza in The New Yorker on 2020 Veepstakes
May 29, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Religious freedom is a defining, founding principle of US
She received a call from her deputy, Matt Axelrod. "You're not going to believe this, but I just read online that the President has executed this travel ban," he said. Because it appeared to be based on the
Muslim ban that Trump had proposed during the campaign, and because it gave preferential treatment to Syrian Christians, it arguably violated the
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. She continued, "This is a defining, founding principle of our country: religious freedom.
How can the Department of Justice go in and defend something that so significantly undermines that, when we're not convinced it's true?"
Source: New Yorker magazine on 2020 Veepstakes
May 22, 2017
On Principles & Values:
Promised not to obey an unlawful order; that's what I did
Senator CORNYN: I find it enormously disappointing that you somehow vetoed the decision of the Office of Legal Counsel with regard to the lawfulness of the president's order and decided instead that you would countermand the executive order of the
president of the United States because you happen to disagree with it as a policy matter.YATES: I appreciate that, Senator, and let me make one thing clear. It is not purely as a policy matter. In fact, I'll remember my confirmation hearing.
You specifically asked me if the president asked me to do something that was unlawful or unconstitutional would I say no? And I looked at this, I made a determination that I believed that it was unlawful.
I also thought that it was inconsistent with principles of the Department of Justice and I said no. And that's what I promised you I would do and that's what I did.
Source: Esquire magazine on 2020 Veepstakes
May 8, 2017
On Principles & Values:
Change doesn't happen with people sitting on their behinds
If there's any message, whether it's for my kid who's this one, who's too young to vote, or those that are able to vote, you gotta be part of this. You can't sit on the sidelines and read your iPhone and be on social media and expect everything to be
cool. You have to be part of this. You have to make change. Change doesn't happen with people sitting on their behinds, getting lazy. And I think that's a very important lesson to come out of this election.
Source: Buzzfeed blog on 2020 Veepstakes
Dec 28, 2016
On War & Peace:
Not intervening against Assad was the right choice
[On avoiding war with Syria]: That was the right choice. I think for us to have gotten in the middle of the civil war is brutal and painful and traumatic as it is, would have been a wrong choice. It was not in our interest to get involved in another
complex civil conflict. It is in our interest to try to deal with the terrorist threat. It is in our interest to provide massive amounts of humanitarian assistance. But I don't think we should have intervened militarily against Assad.
Source: Buzzfeed blog on 2020 Veepstakes
Dec 28, 2016
On Corporations:
Individuals can be held liable for corporate crimes
Lathan & Watkins: Client Alert Commentary: The policy was laid out in a memorandum authored by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates (Yates Memo).
The general tone of the Yates Memo, along with recent public statements by government officials, reflects a noticeably aggressive stance regarding the pursuit of individual charges in white collar enforcement actions.
Source: Lathan & Watkins: Client Alert Commentary on 2020 Veepstakes
Sep 15, 2015
On Crime:
Seeking justice means seeking a proportional sentence
[On criminal justice:] "Certainly we want to incentivize those who are in prison to participate in prison programs that will reduce recidivism," she said. "But that doesn't mean that we don't have an obligation to have a fair and proportional sentencing
system in place on the front end. And I believe that our current system needs some adjustment in that regard.""It's really essential we pair any back-end reform with meaningful front-end reform," Yates said later.
"At the risk of sounding really corny now, I'm a career prosecutor. I've been doing this for a very long time. And I believe in holding people responsible when they violate the law," she said. "But our sole responsibility is to seek justice.
And sometimes that means a very lengthy sentence, for people who are dangerous and from which society must be protected. But it always means seeking a proportional sentence. And that's what this sentencing reform is really about."
Source: Buzzfeed blog on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 22, 2015
On Drugs:
Mandatory minimum sentences not needed in drug cases
Yates has been saying for years that mandatory minimums--which don't apply in the vast majority of cases federal prosecutors coerce cooperation from all the time--aren't necessary to put high-level drug offenders behind bars.
Now she's overseeing the process by which prosecutors move away from mandatory minimums, and she's one of the leading advocates in the administration push to eliminate mandatory minimums altogether in most cases.
Source: Buzzfeed blog on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 22, 2015
Page last updated: Nov 01, 2021