Merger-Enforcement

FTC Blocks Kroger-Albertsons $24.6B Grocery Merger, Citing Labor and Consumer Harm

| Importance: 9/10

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 Commission Kroger Company Albertsons Companies Judge Nelson antitrust ftc kroger albertsons merger-enforcement +2 more
Read more →

JetBlue-Spirit Merger Blocked by Court, Rare Victory for Biden Antitrust Enforcers

| Importance: 8/10

U.S. District Judge William Young blocked JetBlue Airways’ $3.8 billion acquisition of low-cost rival Spirit Airlines on January 16, 2024, handing the Biden administration a significant victory in preserving airline competition. Judge Young ruled that the merger would harm competition and …

Department of Justice JetBlue Airways Spirit Airlines Judge William Young antitrust doj airline-industry merger-enforcement biden-administration +1 more
Read more →

FTC Loses Microsoft-Activision Challenge, $69 Billion Merger Approved Despite Opposition

| Importance: 9/10

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 Commission Microsoft Corporation Activision Blizzard Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley antitrust ftc microsoft activision-blizzard big-tech +2 more
Read more →

FTC Loses Challenge to Block Meta's VR Acquisition, Major Setback for Khan

| Importance: 8/10

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 Commission Meta Platforms Judge Edward Davila Lina Khan antitrust ftc meta big-tech merger-enforcement +2 more
Read more →

Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Requires Pre-Merger Notification, Last Major Antitrust Strengthening Before Reagan Dismantlement

| Importance: 9/10

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 Ford Senator Philip Hart Senator Hugh Scott Representative Peter Rodino Federal Trade Commission +1 more antitrust merger-enforcement regulatory-framework corporate-power premerger-notification
Read more →

Celler-Kefauver Act Closes Merger Loopholes, Strengthens Government Power to Block Anticompetitive Consolidation

| Importance: 9/10

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. Congress Representative Emanuel Celler Senator Estes Kefauver Harry Truman Federal Trade Commission antitrust merger-enforcement corporate-power competition cold-war
Read more →