Updated at 8:15 p.m. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates has instructed Justice Department lawyers not to defend President Trump's executive order restricting travel and immigration from many Muslim-majority countries, telling them she is not convinced it is lawful. Yates is a holdover from the Obama administration until Trump's nominee for attorney general, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, is confirmed by the Senate, which is expected to happen this week. She made clear she has doubts about the legality of Trump's decision to block travelers from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia for 90 days; to suspend new refugee admissions; and to ban the acceptance of Syrian refugees indefinitely. In a letter to lawyers currently handling cases filed to block the ban, Yates said that the department will not defend cases currently pending across the country as long as she is in charge: "My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts. In addition, 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. At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent with these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is law
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