Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday suggested that a retired judge who once awarded President Donald Trump $5 million from a beauty pageant winner be appointed to review sensitive files seized from his lawyer Michael Cohen's office.

Theodore Katz was just one of seven names floated by prosecutors and Cohen's lawyers for the position of "special master." That watchdog, if appointed by a judge, would help decide which documents seized from Cohen could be seen by prosecutors conducting a criminal probe of Cohen.

Katz was acting as a private arbitrator for Trump's claim of defamation against the beauty queen. He was one of three retired federal magistrate judges suggested by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for a potential special master.

All three men were judges in that district, which includes Manhattan and the Bronx.

Cohen's lawyers suggested four former prosecutors from the Southern District.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on its list or Katz specifically.

A special master, if appointed, would review all or some of the files seized from Cohen's home and office last week to see if any of them should not be turned over to prosecutors because they are protected by attorney-client privilege. Such privilege could preclude them from being used in a criminal case against Cohen or other people.

Katz, in a 2012 private arbitration, ruled that Miss Pennsylvania USA 2012, Sheena Monnin had to pay Trump $5 million because she defamed him by saying his Miss USA pageant was rigged.

Cohen, then general counsel to the Trump Organization, was quoted in a news story in 2012 saying that a clause in the Miss USA pageant gave pageant officials the right to pick the top five finalists and the eventual winners. But Cohen said Trump never used his power to overrule pageant judges.

Monnin, who did not place in the top 15 in the Miss USA Pageant, later told reporters that the case with Trump "has been resolved."

"I can say that no money was paid out of my pocket," she said in 2016, according to a news story.

Trump had insulted Monnin's looks after she claimed the pageant was rigged.

"If you look at her compared to the people who are in the top 15, you'll understand why she's not in the top 15," Trump said.

Prosecutors on Wednesday also reiterated their opposition to a special master being appointed, saying it would slow down a review of Cohen's files by at least two months.

Prosecutors additionally revealed that they expect to start giving Cohen copies of the materials seized from him on April 27, and expect to finish that process by May 11.

Cohen and Trump lost a bid during a court hearing Monday to get first crack at reviewing the files seized from Cohen's office last week to identify files that might be held back from prosecutors because of attorney-client privilege protections.

Lawyers for both Cohen and Trump expressed deep concern about the prosecution's plan to have a "filter team" of prosecutors not connected to Cohen's case conduct that review. The filter team, prosecutors said, would prevent the case prosecutors from seeing information that could taint the legality of any case filed against Cohen or someone else.

But U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood left open the possibility that she would appoint a special master to help make that determination to some extent. She asked prosecutors and representatives for Cohen to identify candidates for that post.

Wood also left open the possibility that she would have a filter team of prosecutors handle all or some of the initial review work.