US attorney general Sally Yates fired by Donald Trump nominated for JFK 'Profile in Courage' award

Former acting attorney general Sally Yates who was fired by US President Donald Trump on Monday for defying his executive orders of a sweeping refugee ban has been nominated for the prestigious JFK 'Profile in Courage' award.

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Trump, in his executive order signed on Friday, suspended refugee settlements in America and banned entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The President's executive actions on extreme vetting and visa ban applies to migrants, refugees and US legal residents — green-card holders — from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Libya and Yemen. There is an indefinite ban on the arrival of Syrian refugees.

Yates was sacked by Trump as she advised the Justice Department lawyers to not defend executive order. In a letter addressed to the lawyers, Yates said that she was not  "convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities, nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful."

"Consequently, for as long as I am the Acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defence of the Executive Order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so," Yates wrote in her letter.

Subsequently, the White House on Monday released a statement saying that Yates has been "relieved of her duties" by President Trump as she "betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States."

Yates, however, became popular across the country as people on social media showed support for her and thanked her for being resolute as hashtags #ThankYouSally, #ThankYouSallyYates and #SallyYates began trending on Twitter.

However, one of her admirers stood out. Representative  Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) tweeted on Tuesday afternoon saying that she had nominated the Yates for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

The award "recognizes a public official (or officials) at the federal, state or local level whose actions demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage, President Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good."

The award celebrates those officials who choose public interest over partisanship, "who do what is right, rather than what is expedient."

After her nomination was announced by Rep Speier, people began thanking her for nominating Yates saying that the former acting attorney general deserves the honour.