Sally Yates
Lawyers & Judges

Sally Yates Net Worth

Sally Yates is an American lawyer who has had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. She was appointed as an Assistant U.S Attorney and rose up the ladder to become the Acting United States Attorney General. During her tenure, she implemented the 'drug-clemency initiative' supported by President Barack Obama, the 'Yates Memo' for corporate crimes, and secured a verdict against domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph. She served as acting U.S Attorney for nearly three decades, under both Republican and Democratic governments, before being relieved from her duties by the Trump administration in 2017.
Sally Yates is a member of Lawyers & Judges

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Lawyer
Birth Day August 20, 1960
Birth Place Atlanta, Georgia, United States, United States
Age 63 YEARS OLD
Birth Sign Virgo
President George W. Bush
Preceded by William S. Duffey Jr.
Succeeded by David Nahmias
Spouse(s) J. Comer Yates
Children 2
Education University of Georgia (BA, JD)

💰 Net worth: $8 Thousand (2024)

Sally Yates, a prominent lawyer in the United States, is estimated to have a net worth of $8 thousand in 2024. Renowned for her legal expertise and dedication to justice, Yates has made a name for herself through her remarkable career. Having served as the United States Deputy Attorney General and Acting Attorney General under the Obama administration, she has played a crucial role in upholding the principles of law and order. Despite her legal accomplishments, Yates' net worth remains relatively modest compared to other high-profile figures in the legal field. Her focus on public service and commitment to the justice system makes her an admirable figure in the legal community.

Famous Quotes:

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.

Biography/Timeline

1930

Yates was born in Atlanta to John Kelley Quillian (1930–1986), an attorney and judge who served as a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals between 1966 and 1984, and his wife, Xara "Mickey" DeBeaugrine Quillian (née Terrell; 1931–2012), an interior designer. Her grandmother had been one of the first women admitted to the Georgia Bar; however, she was not hired as an attorney, instead working as a legal secretary for Yates's grandfather.

1973

The New York Times and others drew comparisons to the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre, during the Watergate scandal, when Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General william Ruckelshaus both resigned after refusing to carry out President Richard Nixon's order to dismiss special prosecutor Archibald Cox. By analogy, some cable networks began calling Yates's dismissal the "Monday Night Massacre". However, Watergate investigative Journalist Carl Bernstein, speaking on CNN, rejected the comparison. "There's a big difference, because the Saturday Night Massacre was really about firing the attorney general when Nixon was the target of an investigation and was actively obstructing justice", he said. "I think the President is within his rights here to fire the attorney general, that he has that ability."

1982

Yates attended the University of Georgia, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1982. In 1986, she earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Yates served as the executive Editor of the Georgia Law Review.

1986

In 1986, Yates was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia. From 1986 to 1989, Yates was an associate at the law firm King & Spalding in Atlanta, specializing in commercial litigation. In 1989, she was hired as Assistant U.S. Attorney by Bob Barr for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Early in her career at the Department of Justice, Yates prosecuted a variety of types of cases including white-collar fraud and political corruption. In 1994, she became Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section. She was the lead prosecutor in the case of Eric Rudolph, who committed the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, a terrorist convicted for a series of anti-abortion and anti-gay bombings across the southern United States between 1996 and 1998, which killed two people and injured over 120 others. She rose to First Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2002 and to Acting U.S. Attorney in 2004. In the U.S. Attorney's office she held leadership positions under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

1994

Yates's husband, J. Comer Yates, is an executive Director of the Atlanta Speech School. In 1994 and 1996, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Democrat. The couple has two children, a daughter, Kelley Malone and a son, James "Quill" Quillian.

2010

President Barack Obama nominated Yates to be U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. She was confirmed by the Senate on March 10, 2010. Yates was the first woman to hold that position in the Northern District of Georgia. During her time as a U.S. Attorney, Yates was appointed by Attorney General Eric Holder to serve as Vice Chair of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee.

2015

As Deputy Attorney General, Yates was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Justice Department, which included approximately 113,000 employees. In 2015, she authored the policy, known as the "Yates memo", prioritizing the prosecution of executives for corporate crimes. During the final days of the Obama administration, she oversaw the review of 16,000 petitions for executive clemency, making recommendations to the President.

2016

In January 2016, Yates received Emory University School of Law's Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) Inspiration Award. Following Yates's dismissal as Acting Attorney General, Representative Jackie Speier nominated her for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, and Georgia State Senator Elena Parent introduced a resolution commending Yates. In April 2017, Yates received the Mary Church Terrell Freedom and Justice Award during the Detroit NAACP's 62nd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner.

2017

On May 8, 2017, Yates and James Clapper testified for three hours before the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism over the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Yates said the FBI interviewed then-National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn on January 24, 2017. Because of that interview she made an "urgent" request to meet with White House Counsel Don McGahn. She met with him on January 26 and again on January 27. She informed McGahn that Flynn was "compromised" and possibly open to blackmail by the Russians. As previously reported, she told McGahn that Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about the nature of his conversation with the Russian ambassador. She said Flynn's "underlying conduct", which she could not describe due to classification, "was problematic in and of itself," adding "(i)t was a whole lot more than one White House official lying to another."

2018

Representative Jackie Speier nominated Yates for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Georgia State Senator Elena Parent introduced a resolution commending Yates. Democratic Party operatives in Georgia began recruiting Yates to run for Governor of Georgia in the 2018 election.

Some Sally Yates images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.