How a Former Democrat Became Trump’s Bulldog at the Justice Department

A facts-only brief, written by a local AI model from this article in The Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2026. It may contain mistakes, and it is not the article: the full story is at wsj.com.

Stanley Woodward, the Justice Department’s third-ranking official, has recently signed lawsuits to block the certification of Alaska Senate election results and ordered an antitrust investigation into television networks that suspended pooled coverage of President Trump. Woodward also confronted judges in multiple cases, arguing they are biased against the president, and previously signed a settlement creating a nearly $1.8 billion fund that is now defunct. He stated that he intervenes in difficult cases to support career attorneys and because the department has a limited timeframe to execute the administration’s agenda.

Background

• Woodward, a former Democrat who practiced law at Akin Gump, represented Trump’s personal aide in the classified documents case and argued that special counsel Jack Smith was not lawfully appointed.
• He overruled other officials to recommend a one-day prison sentence for a former Louisville police officer involved in the Breonna Taylor raid, a bid a judge rejected in favor of a 33-month term.
• Woodward has directed the antitrust division to avoid trials and settle high-profile lawsuits, including one against Live Nation, while threatening to fire staff attorneys who opposed dismissing a merger challenge.
• Trump considered replacing Woodward with Harmeet Dhillon in April but kept him in place after Woodward persuaded the White House to retain him.

Read the full article at wsj.com

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