The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter regarding President Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, with the conservative majority signaling strong support for overturning Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, the 1935 unanimous …
Supreme CourtDonald TrumpRebecca SlaughterJohn RobertsElena Kagan+3 moresupreme-courtexecutive-powerindependent-agenciesseparation-of-powersconstitutional-law+5 more
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released a comprehensive staff report revealing that President Donald Trump and his family earned more than $800 million from cryptocurrency ventures in the first half of 2025 alone, with total crypto holdings valued at up to $11.6 …
Jamie RaskinDonald TrumpTrump OrganizationTrump FamilyPaul Atkins+21 morecryptocurrencycorruptionself-dealingforeign-influenceemoluments+13 more
Judge James Boasberg ruled that Meta does not hold an illegal monopoly in personal social networking, dismissing the FTC’s five-year antitrust case seeking to force divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp despite extensive evidence of Meta’s “buy or bury” strategy to eliminate …
Judge James BoasbergMetaMark ZuckerbergFederal Trade CommissionLina Khanantitrustmetafacebookftcregulatory-capture+4 more
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a rush appeal deciding whether President Trump acted lawfully in firing board members leading independent federal agencies, setting up oral arguments for December 2025. The case will reconsider the landmark 1935 precedent Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, …
Supreme CourtDonald TrumpRebecca SlaughterFederal Trade CommissionBrett Kavanaughsupreme-courtjudiciarycourtsexecutive-powerindependent-agencies+3 more
President Trump signs executive order revoking previous competition and antitrust enforcement policies, clearing path for increased corporate consolidation and monopolistic practices without federal oversight.
Donald TrumpDepartment of Justice Antitrust DivisionFederal Trade Commissionmonopoly-powerantitrusteconomic-policyreward-alliescorporate-consolidation+3 more
The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon granted the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Kroger from acquiring Albertsons on December 10, 2024, blocking the largest proposed supermarket merger in U.S. history. The FTC had sued to block the $24.6 …
Federal Trade CommissionKroger CompanyAlbertsons CompaniesJudge Nelsonantitrustftckrogeralbertsonsmerger-enforcement+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative antitrust complaint against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers—CVS Caremark, Express Scripts (Cigna), and OptumRx (UnitedHealth)—and their affiliated group purchasing organizations, charging them with anticompetitive and unfair practices …
Federal Trade CommissionLina KhanCVS CaremarkExpress ScriptsOptumRx+3 morehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustftc+3 more
The Federal Trade Commission released its interim staff report titled ‘Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The Powerful Middlemen Inflating Drug Costs and Squeezing Main Street Pharmacies,’ revealing alarming market concentration and anticompetitive practices. The report found that three PBMs—CVS …
Federal Trade CommissionLina KhanCVS CaremarkExpress ScriptsOptumRx+1 morehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+3 more
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, joined by the Business Roundtable, the Texas Association of Business, and the Longview Chamber of Commerce, filed a lawsuit in Tyler, Texas federal court against the FTC and Chair Lina Khan over the commission’s vote to ban noncompete clauses used to block …
U.S. Chamber of CommerceFederal Trade CommissionLina KhanBusiness Roundtableantitrustftcchamber-of-commercecorporate-lobbyinglabor-rights+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice released final 2023 Merger Guidelines on December 18, 2023, representing a major departure from the consumer welfare standard that had guided antitrust enforcement for nearly half a century. The Guidelines signaled a move from the existing …
Federal Trade CommissionDepartment of JusticeLina KhanJonathan Kanterantitrustftcdojmerger-guidelinesregulatory-reform+2 more
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission in December 2023, alleging a lack of transparency and accountability under Chairwoman Lina Khan’s leadership. The business group alleged that the FTC had regularly avoided responding to lawful requests for public …
U.S. Chamber of CommerceFederal Trade CommissionLina KhanSuzanne Clarkantitrustftcchamber-of-commercecorporate-lobbyingregulatory-resistance+1 more
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by 17 state attorneys general, filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Amazon alleging the company illegally maintains monopoly power in online retail through systematic anti-competitive practices. The complaint documents Amazon’s …
Federal Trade CommissionAmazonAndy Jassy17 State Attorneys Generalantitrustamazonftcmonopolyregulatory-capture+3 more
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied the Federal Trade Commission’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard on July 10, 2023. The FTC had voted to file a …
Federal Trade CommissionMicrosoft CorporationActivision BlizzardJudge Jacqueline Scott Corleyantitrustftcmicrosoftactivision-blizzardbig-tech+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission announced a $5.8 million settlement with Ring after finding the company compromised customers’ privacy by allowing employees and contractors to access private videos and failing to implement basic security protections that enabled hackers to take control of …
RingAmazonFederal Trade Commissionringftcprivacy-violationsemployee-misconductsurveillance-abuse+2 more
U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila (N.D. Cal.) denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt Meta’s acquisition of Within Unlimited, a VR fitness app developer, on January 31, 2023. The FTC had sued to block the merger in July 2022, arguing Meta …
Federal Trade CommissionMeta PlatformsJudge Edward DavilaLina Khanantitrustftcmetabig-techmerger-enforcement+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission ordered private equity firm JAB Consumer Partners to divest veterinary clinics in four metropolitan areas as a condition of its $1.65 billion acquisition of Ethos Veterinary Health, citing concerns about JAB’s roll-up strategy creating local monopolies in specialty …
Federal Trade CommissionJAB Consumer PartnersJAB Holding CompanyNational Veterinary AssociatesEthos Veterinary Health+1 moreantitrustconsolidationprivate-equityveterinaryhealthcare+4 more
The Federal Trade Commission unanimously voted to authorize a comprehensive investigation into pharmacy benefit manager business practices under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act, with all five commissioners voting in favor. The FTC issued compulsory orders to the six largest PBMs—CVS Caremark, Express …
Federal Trade CommissionLina KhanChuck GrassleyMaria CantwellCVS Caremark+2 morehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+2 more
President Biden signed Executive Order 14036, ‘Promoting Competition in the American Economy,’ on July 9, 2021, launching what the administration characterized as the most comprehensive federal effort to promote competition since the New Deal. The executive order directed over a dozen …
Joe BidenFederal Trade CommissionDepartment of JusticeWhite House Competition Councilantitrustbiden-administrationcompetitionregulatory-reformexecutive-order+1 more
The U.S. Senate confirmed Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission by a bipartisan vote of 69-28 on June 15, 2021, and President Biden immediately named her chair of the five-member Commission. At 32, Khan became the youngest commissioner ever confirmed to the agency, let alone to lead it. Khan …
Lina KhanJoe BidenU.S. SenateFederal Trade Commissionantitrustftcbiden-administrationregulatory-reformlina-khan+1 more
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, files major antitrust lawsuit against Facebook alleging illegal monopolization through systematic acquisition of competitors Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC seeks structural breakup of Facebook through forced …
Federal Trade CommissionFacebookMark ZuckerbergInstagramWhatsApp+1 morefacebookftcantitrustmonopolizationinstagram+4 more
AbbVie completed its $63 billion acquisition of Allergan after FTC approval requiring divestiture of digestive drug brazikumab to resolve antitrust concerns. The merger created a pharmaceutical giant with combined 2019 revenues of $48 billion and a diversified portfolio spanning immunology, …
AbbVieAllerganFederal Trade Commissionantitrustconsolidationmergerpharmaceutical-industryregulatory-capture+3 more
The University of Phoenix’s enrollment collapsed from a peak of 470,000 students in 2010 to approximately 95,000 by fall 2018—an 80% decline—as federal and state investigations exposed systematic fraud including deceptive advertising that falsely promised job opportunities with major companies …
University of PhoenixApollo Education GroupFederal Trade Commissionfor-profit-collegesfraudstudent-debtuniversity-of-phoenix
Northrop Grumman completed its $9.2 billion acquisition of Orbital ATK on June 6, 2018, gaining control of the premier supplier of solid rocket motors essential for missile systems and creating anticompetitive market dominance that the Federal Trade Commission warned would “reduce competition …
Northrop GrummanOrbital ATKFederal Trade CommissionDepartment of DefenseBoeingmilitary-industrial complexdefense contractorsmonopoly powermergers and acquisitionsantitrust+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission approved Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market on August 23, 2017, without an in-depth investigation. This decision demonstrated regulatory challenges in addressing 21st-century tech monopolies, as the FTC did not find substantial anticompetitive …
In 2016, a whistleblower who had worked for 12 years at the American Kidney Fund filed a lawsuit alleging that dialysis giants DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care—which together control over 80 percent of the $24.7 billion U.S. dialysis market—operated a years-long kickback scheme where they donated …
DaVitaFresenius Medical CareAmerican Kidney FundDepartment of JusticeFederal Trade Commissionhealthcaredialysissystematic-corruptionmonopolykickbacks+3 more
Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 billion, the largest tech acquisition to date, eliminating its primary competitor in mobile messaging and consolidating monopoly control over personal communications platforms. The FTC approves the acquisition without structural separation requirements despite …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergWhatsAppJan KoumBrian Acton+1 morefacebookwhatsappantitrustmergermonopolization+4 more
The Supreme Court ruled 5-3 in FTC v. Actavis that the Federal Trade Commission could bring antitrust challenges against “pay-for-delay” agreements where brand-name drug manufacturers pay generic competitors to delay bringing cheaper alternatives to market. The decision reversed lower …
Supreme Court of the United StatesFederal Trade CommissionSolvay PharmaceuticalsActavisWatson Pharmaceuticals+1 morepharmaceutical-industrypatent-abuseregulatory-captureantitrustsupreme-court+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission closed its 19-month antitrust investigation of Google without bringing charges, despite internal staff recommendations for legal action. With 230 White House meetings in 2012-2013, Google demonstrated unprecedented political access, ultimately avoiding significant …
Federal Trade CommissionGoogle Inc.Larry PageEric SchmidtFTC Staff Attorneys+2 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustgoogleftc+2 more
On August 9, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Google would pay a record $22.5 million civil penalty—the largest ever levied against a single company in FTC history—to settle charges of deliberately circumventing Apple Safari browser privacy settings to track users without their …
GoogleFederal Trade CommissionAppleJon Leibowitz (FTC Chairman)Stanford Web Security Researchgoogleprivacy-violationftctrackingsafari+3 more
Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for billion, implementing what the FTC would later characterize as a ‘buy or bury’ strategy to eliminate competitive threats. Internal emails revealed CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated the acquisition was motivated by a desire to …
Facebook Inc.Mark ZuckerbergInstagram Inc.Kevin SystromMike Krieger+1 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustfacebookmeta+1 more
On April 13, 2008, Google completed its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick, the dominant online advertising server and ad exchange operator. The merger, approved by the Federal Trade Commission in December 2007, combined Google’s search advertising dominance with DoubleClick’s …
GoogleDoubleClickFederal Trade CommissionPamela Jones Harbour (dissenting FTC Commissioner)David Rosenblatt (DoubleClick CEO)googledoubleclickmergerantitrustftc+3 more
Questcor Pharmaceuticals implemented an overnight price increase for H.P. Acthar Gel from $1,600 to $23,000 per vial on August 27, 2007, launching a decade-long price gouging scheme that would eventually raise the drug’s price by 97,000% from its 2001 level. Questcor had acquired Acthar—a …
Questcor PharmaceuticalsMallinckrodtFederal Trade CommissionHumanaCongress+1 morepharmaceutical-industrydrug-pricinghealthcarecorporate-fraudbribery+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission approved Boeing’s $13.3 billion acquisition of McDonnell Douglas, completing a merger wave that reduced major U.S. defense contractors from 51 firms in the late 1980s to just five dominant primes by the late 1990s. The consolidation wave was actively encouraged by …
BoeingMcDonnell DouglasFederal Trade CommissionDepartment of DefenseLes Aspin+1 moreantitrustconsolidationmergerdefense-contractorsoligopoly+3 more
Reagan’s Antitrust Chief William Baxter released the Department of Justice’s 1982 Merger Guidelines, fundamentally transforming how the federal government evaluated mergers and effectively repealing Congressional antitrust statutes through administrative policy. The FTC simultaneously …
William F. BaxterDepartment of JusticeFederal Trade CommissionRonald Reaganantitrustregulatory-capturechicago-schoolmerger-guidelinescorporate-power+1 more
President Ronald Reagan appointed Robert Bork to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 9, 1982, elevating the author of “The Antitrust Paradox” to the federal bench widely considered the nation’s second-most important court. Bork’s …
Robert BorkRonald ReaganDC Circuit Court of AppealsFederalist SocietyDepartment of Justice Antitrust Division+1 morejudicial-captureantitrust-abandonmentchicago-schoolfederalist-societyconservative-movement+3 more
Ronald Reagan’s inauguration marked the beginning of the most consequential transformation in American antitrust policy since the Sherman Act of 1890—an eight-year systematic dismantlement of competition enforcement that would enable four decades of corporate consolidation and monopolization. …
Ronald ReaganWilliam F. BaxterDouglas GinsburgRobert BorkFrank Easterbrook+3 moreantitrustregulatory-capturechicago-schoolreagan-administrationenforcement-collapse+2 more
President Gerald Ford signed the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act), requiring companies to notify the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division of large proposed mergers and wait 30 days before consummating transactions, giving regulators time to …
Gerald FordSenator Philip HartSenator Hugh ScottRepresentative Peter RodinoFederal Trade Commission+1 moreantitrustmerger-enforcementregulatory-frameworkcorporate-powerpremerger-notification
Congress passed the Celler-Kefauver Anti-Merger Act, championed by Representative Emanuel Celler (D-NY) and Senator Estes Kefauver (D-TN), fundamentally strengthening the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and giving the government powerful new tools to prevent anticompetitive mergers. The Act closed …
U.S. CongressRepresentative Emanuel CellerSenator Estes KefauverHarry TrumanFederal Trade Commissionantitrustmerger-enforcementcorporate-powercompetitioncold-war
Congress passed the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), co-sponsored by Senator Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR) and Representative Wright Patman (D-TX), prohibiting anticompetitive price discrimination by producers. The law responded to the growing power of chain stores like the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea …
U.S. CongressSenator Joseph T. RobinsonRepresentative Wright PatmanFederal Trade Commissionantitrustregulatory-captureprice-discriminationcorporate-powersmall-business
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA) into law on August 26, 1935, based on the 1928-1935 Federal Trade Commission investigation of the electric industry that exposes widespread abuses by large multistate utility corporations. The Act addresses …
Franklin D. RooseveltFederal Trade CommissionElectric Utility IndustrySecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)utility-regulationnew-dealanti-monopolyregulatory-victorycorporate-restructuring+1 more
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Securities Act of 1933 into law on May 27, 1933, establishing the first major federal regulation of securities markets and requiring that investors receive financial and material information about securities offered for public sale. Often called the …
Franklin D. RooseveltHuston ThompsonFederal Trade CommissionWall StreetSecurities Industryfinancial-regulationnew-dealsecurities-lawinvestor-protectionregulatory-victory+1 more
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Trade Commission Act into law, establishing the FTC as an independent federal agency to prevent ‘unfair methods of competition’ and protect consumers from deceptive business practices. The Act fulfilled Wilson’s ‘New Freedom’ …