Sally Yates is the infamous former Acting U.S. Attorney General who was fired by President Donald Trump. Yates labeled Trump’s recent travel ban Executive Order as indefensible and unconstitutional. Well, an anonymous Canadian has chimed in. At least according to a domain name registered on Jan. 27th.
Brief Background on Trump’s Order, Referred to as a “Muslim Ban” or “Travel Ban”
To clarify, the order poses new entry limits on immigrants and refugees from particular countries. It carves out exemptions for specific religions.
Sally Yates directed her deputy attorneys in the Department of Justice not to defend the executive order in federal court. This followed numerous lawsuits and court orders imposing restrictions on parts of it by judges. Her exact legal reasoning – linked here – goes far beyond the scope of this blog.
Regardless, by 9PM Eastern that night, President Trump fired Sally Yates. Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dana Boente, had already been sworn in as her replacement. Not surprisingly, Boente’s first public statement was a pledge to fight in court for Trump’s ban.
How Sally Yates Relates to Domain Names
In general, people who work with domain names for a living can have oddball personality traits.
After hearing about this dispute, I immediately checked WHOIS to see if anyone had registered SallyYates.com. Shocker: 9 minutes after the initial announcement, the domain was still available.
I entered SallyYates.com at FYNE, and clicked register domain.
Its status was domain already taken. Blast, someone beat me to it! In full disclosure, I do not know what I would have done with the domain.
Who Registered It?
The SallyYates.com registration was completed at 9:10PM. The domain’s owner is located in Canada. Although it is important to realize that we probably do not know they live there. The registrant is using WHOIS Privacy to mask their personal information. This Toronto address is frequently seen in connection with the cloaking service.
WHOIS Information for SallyYates.com
Registrar: Google Inc.
Domain Status: ok https://www.icann.org/epp#ok
Registrant Name: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 1241082650
Street: 96 Mowat Ave
City: Toronto
State/Province: ON
Postal Code: M4K 3K1
Country: CA
Phone: +1.4165385487
Email: hfg<partially redacted>chd@contactprivacy.email
And this individual clearly had a plan.
Sally Yates is a ‘Hero’
The anonymous domain name creator redirected SallyYates.com to the Wikipedia entry for the word Hero. Emphasis was added for visitors to be shown the section about Joan of Arc. She was described as a heroine of France for her role in the Hundred Years’ War. Centuries later, Joan of Arc was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint.
The Wikipedia page cites a historical timeline that perhaps the registrant hopes to see modernized. Consequently, it seems safe to say this domain was registered to show support for Yates’ legal position on the executive order.
The appearance of Joan of Arc at the siege of Orléans sparked a revival of French spirit, and the tide began to turn against the English. The English laid siege to Orléans in 1428, but their force was insufficient to fully invest the city. In 1429 Joan convinced the Dauphin to send her to the siege, saying she had received visions from God telling her to drive out the English. She raised the morale of the troops, and they attacked the English redoubts, forcing the English to lift the siege. Inspired by Joan, the French took several English strongholds on the Loire.
The English retreated from the Loire Valley, pursued by a French army. Near the village of Patay, French cavalry broke through a unit of English longbowmen that had been sent to block the road, then swept through the retreating English army. The English lost 2,200 men, and the commander, John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, was taken prisoner. This victory opened the way for the Dauphin to march to Reims for his coronation as Charles VII, on 16 July 1429.