In an announcement made on Wednesday, the Justice Department revealed U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice to nominate familiar faces from his first term for key roles within the department. John Eisenberg is set to take the lead in the national security division, while Brett Shumate is slated for a position in the civil division. Shumate, who currently serves as the acting head of the civil division, is actively managing the administration’s legal battles against various lawsuits concerning federal employee terminations, the restructuring of federal agencies, and the efforts of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to obtain sensitive information.
With a background as a partner at the Jones Day law firm, known for its close connections to Trump, Shumate previously defended the president’s executive order on birthright citizenship, which a federal judge recently deemed unconstitutional. During Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2021, Shumate held the role of deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Division’s Federal Programs Branch.
Eisenberg, who previously served as legal adviser to the National Security Council during Trump’s first White House tenure and held positions within the Justice Department, is now being considered for a prominent role in the national security division. Eisenberg’s legal career includes a clerkship for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a key figure in the conservative bloc on the high court.
Additionally, the department disclosed that Patrick Davis is being nominated to lead the Office of Legislative Affairs for the third time. Davis previously served as the deputy associate attorney general during Trump’s initial term in office.
All three nominations necessitate approval by the U.S. Senate. This announcement follows Trump’s recent directive to dismiss all remaining U.S. attorneys appointed during the previous administration of Democrat Joe Biden, with Trump alleging, without substantiation, that the department had become overly politicized.
