Brett Shumate Brett Shumate, with Jones Day. 

Jones Day's hiring of Brett Shumate, until April a top political appointee in the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Division, is further evidence that the pipeline between the firm and the Trump administration remains active.

Before stepping down from his post as deputy assistant attorney general earlier this year, Shumate emerged as among the most visible Justice Department trial attorneys, fighting challenges to a number of controversial Trump administration moves, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. He had been a partner at Wiley Rein prior to joining the DOJ.

As a partner in Jones Day's government regulation practice, Shumate will work alongside former White House counsel Don McGahn, who rejoined the firm in March to co-lead the practice after 22 months in the Trump administration.

"Brett's experience at the Justice Department, combined with his previous work on behalf of clients, particularly in the telecommunications and tech areas, make him a great addition to our team in Washington," McGahn said in a statement. "The insights and understanding he brings to regulatory matters will immeasurably benefit our clients. I am very pleased Brett is part of our team and I look forward to working with him."

Shumate was among the leading lawyers on the Justice Department team that abandoned the defense of the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which is weighing the constitutionality of the Obama administration's signature health care law.

He also successfully defended claims under the Constitution's Emoluments Clauses and President Donald Trump's decision to name then-White House budget director Mick Mulvaney as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau following the resignation of Richard Cordray.

The Trump administration's latest round of judicial nominations, unveiled Wednesday, also indicates a continuing healthy relationship with the firm. Among five names put forth for two of California's federal courts is Jones Day partner Shireen Matthews, a former federal prosecutor and Latham & Watkins associate based in San Diego.

Earlier this year, after McGahn returned to Jones Day, reports emerged of a rift between the firm and the Trump administration in response to the attorney's comments to special counsel Robert Mueller. But the latest batch of exchanges suggests any turbulence has been smoothed over.

The firm has hired two other attorneys who recently spent time in the executive branch since bringing McGahn back on board. Schuyler Schouten, formerly senior associate counsel to Trump and deputy legal adviser to the National Security Council, joined the government regulation practice in June as a partner. So did of counsel Robert Luther III, formerly associate counsel to Trump.

Jones Day also announced the arrival of Margaret "Peggy" Blake, a former associate general counsel for regulatory affairs at the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, as of counsel in its financial institutions litigation and regulation practice in Washington.

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