New U.S. Attorney for North Georgia

The United States Senate voted last night and, with unanimous consent, confirmed Sally Quillian Yates as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. Ms. Yates is expected to be officially sworn in by a United States District Court Judge in the near future

In Atlanta, Ms. Yates said today, “It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed by President Obama to serve as United States Attorney. I am looking forward to working with the dedicated professionals in the U.S. Attorney's office and our law enforcement partners to serve the citizens of this district. I am humbled by this opportunity and responsibility to lead an office of public servants dedicated to the pursuit of justice.”

Ms. Yates has been the Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia since August 24, 2009, shortly after the previous United States Attorney, David E. Nahmias, was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia.

Ms. Yates has served as the First Assistant United States Attorney for the last seven years and was charged with overseeing all criminal and civil cases in the office of approximately eighty-six attorneys. Prior to that, she was the Chief of the Public Corruption and Government Fraud Section from 1994 until 2002 where she supervised the prosecution of white collar crimes. Ms. Yates has been with the United States Attorney's office since 1989 and has handled a wide variety of complex public corruption and fraud matters. She was the lead prosecutor in the City of Atlanta corruption prosecutions and the Atlanta prosecution of Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph. She is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Prior to joining the United States Attorney's Office, Ms. Yates practiced with King & Spalding in the commercial litigation area. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1986.