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Stanley Woodward Reportedly Assumes Leadership of DOJ Antitrust Division

By  |  June 16, 2026
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Stanley Woodward, the U.S. Department of Justice’s associate attorney general, has assumed leadership of the department’s Antitrust Division, according to reports published Monday.

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    The Justice Department has not publicly announced the change or provided details regarding the circumstances of Woodward’s appointment to the role.

    Woodward, who serves as the department’s third-ranking official, already exercised supervisory authority over the Antitrust Division as associate attorney general. According to the Justice Department, that office oversees several major litigating components, including the Antitrust Division.

    Global Competition Review described Woodward as having played a leading role in the department’s approval of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Juniper Networks, a transaction that prompted scrutiny from lawmakers and antitrust observers earlier this year. The publication reported that Woodward is now leading the division, corroborating an earlier report by MLex.

    The Antitrust Division has recently operated under Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi. Public records indicate that Woodward had already taken an active role in antitrust enforcement matters, including appearing alongside Assefi during a May announcement of criminal antitrust charges against four container manufacturing companies and seven executives.

    The Antitrust Division is responsible for enforcing federal competition laws, reviewing mergers and acquisitions, and prosecuting criminal antitrust violations.

    Source: Global Competition Review