The Trump administration said on Wednesday that the president had chosen Stanley Woodward Jr., who has defended several key figures in his orbit, for the No. 3 position at the Justice Department.
Since January, Mr. Woodward has served as a lawyer at the White House, a reflection of the trust he developed in President Trump’s inner circle during a tumultuous period in 2022 and 2023 when Mr. Trump faced multiple criminal investigations and prosecutions. He rose to prominence representing Mr. Trump’s personal aide in the investigation into his handling of classified documents after he left office.
If the Senate confirms him as associate attorney general, Mr. Woodward will oversee a number of important parts of the department, including civil litigation, civil rights, antitrust, tax and environmental work. Historically, the associate attorney general also plays a major role in formulating department policy and coordinating with the White House. He would also become the department’s chief officer overseeing lawsuits involving the Freedom of Information Act.
Mr. Woodward would join a department already dominated by senior officials who previously served as lawyers for Mr. Trump, including Attorney General Pam Bondi; the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche; and the principal associate deputy attorney general, Emil Bove III. D. John Sauer, who represented Mr. Trump before the Supreme Court, is poised to become the solicitor general if confirmed later Wednesday by the Senate.
Mr. Woodward has also represented senior aides to the president who came under investigation, as well as people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on Congress.
But it was in the classified documents investigation that Mr. Woodward proved his value to the president. In representing Mr. Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, Mr. Woodward often played a significant role in devising and executing defense strategy. Mr. Nauta first began working as a valet for Mr. Trump at the White House and stayed with him as a private employee when the president left office.