U.S. Attorney General William Barr is considering Claire Murray, a former White House lawyer who recently joined his staff, for a top Justice Department role overseeing civil litigation, including the defense of Trump administration policies, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Murray, among a small group of Barr advisers who previously worked in the Trump White House counsel's office, is expected to succeed Jesse Panuccio as the principal deputy associate attorney general, a role that has taken on new prominence as the Trump administration has struggled to fill the third-ranking Justice Department position.

Indeed, the Justice Department has been without a Senate-confirmed associate attorney general since Rachel Brand resigned in February 2018 to become a top lawyer at Walmart. Panuccio, a former partner at Foley & Lardner in Miami who was previously a lawyer for Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, served as acting associate attorney general in early 2017 as Brand awaited confirmation. He later reprised the role in the months after her resignation.