Sally Yates: Decisions

Sally Yates rose through the ranks of the Justice Department over the course of a 27-year career to serve as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States–the second highest ranking position in DOJ.

Through a series of deeply personal and fascinating stories, Sally shares her journey from young lawyer representing an indigent African American woman in a land dispute, to line federal prosecutor responsible for the prosecution of Atlanta Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, to United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

On The Oath, Sally also discusses her role as Deputy Attorney General and her remarkable ten-day tenure as the Acting Attorney General of the United States, during which she commanded the Justice Department to refrain from enforcing a travel ban ordered by President Trump, directed at individuals from predominantly Muslim countries. Sally’s principled stance led the president to fire her for insubordination.