Washington, D.C. — As Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter steps down from his role at the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division this week, bringing to a close a remarkable tenure, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“Under Jonathan Kanter’s leadership, the DOJ Antitrust Division has become an enforcer fit for the modern economy—and a powerful ally of American consumers, workers, and small businesses,” said Nidhi Hegde, Interim Executive Director at the American Economic Liberties Project. “From winning the biggest antitrust trial of the century against Google’s search monopoly, to successfully blocking a merger on the grounds that it would reduce competition in labor markets, to securing the first criminal monopolization conviction in more than 40 years, AAG Kanter’s Antitrust Division notched landmark victories that will shape antitrust enforcement and jurisprudence well into the future. Economic Liberties is grateful for his service as the people’s lawyer.”

“Under AAG Kanter’s leadership, the DOJ’s enforcement has touched nearly every sector and demonstrated that effective antitrust enforcement is essential to preserving economic freedom and opportunity for all Americans,” Hegde continued. “It has blocked anticompetitive mergers in publishing and airlines, launched major investigations into anticompetitive practices at healthcare conglomerates, and empowered farmers against the heavily-concentrated meatpacking sector. This wide-ranging impact speaks to AAG Kanter’s commitment to ensuring the agency’s work was informed by a wide range of public input. AAG Kanter threw open the doors of his office—listening to and engaging with the economic realities of everyone from musicians to independent pharmacists to tech founders.  Principal Deputy AAG Doha Mekki, an equally dedicated public servant and savvy lawyer, is more than capable to lead the Division for the remainder of the term. We’re thrilled to see her take the helm after playing a key role in the DOJ’s highest-profile actions thus far.”

Since taking office in 2021, AAG Kanter has compiled a remarkable record of service on behalf of the American public. Highlights of his tenure include:

• The DOJ won the first monopolization case filed and litigated by the Antitrust Division in over 20 years.
• The DOJ won its first case seeking to block a merger on the ground that it would harm competition in labor markets. The DOJ also successfully blocked two other combinations in the airline industry, preserving the benefits of competition for air travelers.
• Through its criminal enforcement efforts, the Antitrust Division obtained dozens of convictions, including the first criminal monopolization convictions in more than 40 years. It also obtained a criminal resolution with generic drug manufacturers that included a first-of-its-kind divestiture of the drug lines that were involved in a price-fixing conspiracy for a widely used cholesterol medication.
• The DOJ produced the updated 2023 Merger Guidelines, alongside the Federal Trade Commission, which set forth, for the first time in forty years, a comprehensive overview of the Agencies’ approach to merger review. Federal courts have embraced their approach to issues such as market definition and the structural presumption.
• The DOJ filed additional, ongoing monopolization cases against some of the most notorious monopolies in the US—Apple, Live Nation-Ticketmaster, Google’s adtech businesses, Visa, and the rent-fixing software RealPage.
• The DOJ sued to stop an industry-wide price fixing scheme by meat processors enabled by agricultural data firm Agri Stats, which operates a data service allowing dominant processors like Tyson Foods and Cargill to collude to sidestep competition and keep prices high.
• Executed President Biden’s whole-of-government approach to competition through partnerships with agencies across the government.
• The DOJ launched a monopolization investigation into the managed-care industry, which includes healthcare giants UnitedHealth and CVS Health, owner of Aetna.
• Launched a probe into UnitedHealth Group’s monopolization and self-dealing.

Learn more about AAG Kanter’s Accomplishments here.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.