Justice Department Eyes New Antitrust Enforcers, But Tensions Slow Hiring Process

Jonathan Kanter took over as head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division almost two months ago. So far, the division has been slow to hire staff to top jobs, potentially delaying Kanter’s aggressive enforcement and policy agenda, including its plans to rein in the power of the technology industry.

The hiring holdups aren’t because Kanter has no one in mind for the jobs. Among the previously unreported people in the running for top antitrust positions are Josh Tzuker, a lawyer for software giant Oracle; Eric Citron, an antitrust appellate lawyer with Washington firm Goldstein & Russell; and Sarah Oxenham Allen, a senior staffer in the Virginia Attorney General’s office, according to people familiar with the hiring process. Former Justice Department official and current Arnold & Porter partner Sonia Pfaffenroth is also under consideration for a position.