President Joe Biden has picked Jonathan Kanter to serve as the Justice Department’s (DOJ) assistant attorney general for antitrust, in a major win for progressive Democrats who accused the agency of failing to aggressively pursue major tech companies’ antitrust and privacy violations, Bloomberg reported.
According to the New York Times, Biden’s plan to appoint Mr. Kanter, an antitrust lawyer who has made a career out of representing smaller rivals of Big Tech, signals how strongly the administration is siding with the growing field of lawmakers, researchers and regulators who say that Silicon Valley has obtained outsize power over the way Americans speak with one another, buy products online and consume news.
If the Senate confirms him, Kanter would head the division that filed an antitrust suit against Google in October.
Kanter began his career as a staff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission before moving to private practice. A protege of Rick Rule, a Republican who served as President Ronald Reagan’s DOJ antitrust chief, Kanter represented Microsoft when it settled the Justice Department’s probe in the early 2000s and then through the company’s travails with European antitrust authorities.
He also represented companies including US Airways in its merger with American Airlines, and health insurer Cigna in its failed deal with Anthem.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Chamber of Commerce Sues to Overturn FTC Non-Compete Ban
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
FTC Chief Warns of Healthcare Price Fixing Risks Amid Tech Advancements
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
Amazon’s Investment in Anthropic Faces Antitrust Scrutiny
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
Italian Antitrust Authority Fines Amazon €10 Million for Unfair Trade Practices
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
Tuta Mail Raises Alarm Over Google Search Ranking Plunge Amidst DMA Rollout
Apr 24, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI