Trump DOJ’s Civil Division Recruits More Jones Day Lawyers

The Justice Department has hired Jones Day attorneys Yaakov Roth and Harry Graver to serve in the civil division, expanding the Trump-aligned firm’s presence at an office responsible for protecting the president’s agenda in court.

Roth, a partner who’s argued high profile cases before the Supreme Court, is set to begin his role as the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the civil division next week, while Graver, previously a Jones Day associate, has already joined as a counsel and made an appearance in court on Monday, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The civil division’s additions provide the latest signs of Jones Day’s full return to embracing President Donald Trump, after previously winding down that relationship by opting against advising his 2024 campaign. Chad Mizelle, DOJ’s chief of staff and acting associate attorney general, had a brief stint as of counsel at Jones Day in 2021.

Brett Shumate ended his five-year run at Jones Day in January to serve as the acting assistant attorney general in the division. But when Trump nominated him earlier this week to remove the acting label from his title, that appears to have ushered in Roth’s arrival as interim civil division leader.

It’s not clear where at the department or elsewhere in the administration Shumate will land during his Senate confirmation process, but prior administrations have moved acting officials to other roles when they become the nominee to avoid complicating their Senate approval.

Roth, a graduate of Harvard Law School, joined Jones Day in 2009, focusing his practice on regulatory challenges and white-collar criminal appeals. Most recently, he defended former Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) in court over his bribery and corruption charges, and argued for pharmaceutical giants against the government’s drug price negotiation program.

A former clerk for the late US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Roth argued at least three cases before the US Supreme Court, which includes his victory in West Virginia v. EPA, a case that dealt blow to agency authority when justices restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to cut down on power-plant emissions.

Graver, who graduated first in his class from Harvard Law School, was a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh before joining Jones Day as an associate in 2022. He worked on appeals and motions at the firm, with a focus on federal overreach.

Graver was quickly put to work at the department advocating for Trump policies. Shortly after joining DOJ, he made an appearance Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia arguing in favor of Elon Musk and his US government efficiency team’s ability to access internal systems at federal agencies.

The DOJ didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.