FTC’s Facebook Antitrust Case Gets New Judge

The US Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook was transferred to another judge on Tuesday so that it and a similar case filed by state attorneys general will be heard by the same person, according to Reuters.

Both the FTC and a large group of state attorneys general, led by New York, filed lawsuits against Facebookin December before the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleging violations of antitrust law.

The state attorneys general requested last month that the cases be consolidated. Facebook objected to the consolidation, saying it was “premature and unnecessary” but did not object to the same judge hearing both cases.

Judge Chris Cooper, who had been assigned the FTC’s case, said in a minute order on Tuesday that he was asking for it to be re-assigned to Judge James Boasberg, who is hearing the similar case filed by state attorneys general.

Boasberg was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama, and is also presiding judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which considers surveillance requests from U.S. law enforcement.