Atlanta native Sally Quillan Yates is President’s Deputy Attorney General Nominee
President Obama has nominated Atlanta native U.S. attorney Sally Quillian Yates for deputy attorney general.
Broadcast version of this story.
Yates was serving as a federal prosecutor when in 2009 Obama nominated her as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. She was confirmed the following year.
Now, she’s a nominee for second-in-command at the Justice Department.
WABE legal analyst Page Pate says Yates is highly respected.
“She’s always been a top-notch lawyer and probably an even better administrator, so I’m not surprised by the selection, and I anticipate at least for Georgia’s senators she will be well received.”
Current Deputy Attorney General James Cole steps down in January. Yates’ nomination would require Senate confirmation.
“It’s always possible with politics the way they are some people will use this nomination as an attempt to criticize the Justice Department in general and some specific proposals and decisions Obama has made. But as far as Ms. Yates personally, I can’t foresee her having any difficulty getting confirmed for this position.”
Obama’s pick to be the next U.S. attorney general is Loretta Lynch.
If Yates and Lynch are both approved, it’ll be the first time since the 1990s two women have held the top spots in the Justice Department.
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