WASHINGTON – Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, issued the following statement in response to U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's ruling in the DOJ’s Google antitrust case. Davis founded Internet Accountability Project (IAP), an initiative of the Article III Project, to ensure that monopolistic behavior in the tech industry is effectively addressed and that consumers are protected from harmful practices.
“Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling in the Google antitrust case is a major disappointment, especially given the substantial evidence that Google has abused its monopoly power to stifle competition. While Mehta acknowledged Google’s illegal monopoly in the search market, his decision fails to hold it fully accountable for its clear monopolistic misconduct. By rejecting the Justice Department’s call for severe remedies, like the forced divestiture of Chrome and Android, he missed a key opportunity to address the root of Google’s monopolistic practices. This weak response is symptomatic of a much larger problem: our outdated antitrust laws.
“Judge Mehta's narrow interpretation of antitrust law limits the scope of remedies, leaving Google with a free pass to continue stifling competition, particularly in the rapidly expanding world of generative AI. This ruling sends a powerful signal not just to Google, but to all Big Tech oligarchs, that they can continue engaging in predatory practices without fear of substantial repercussions.
“This decision also reflects a deeper flaw in the judicial approach to Big Tech monopolists – a flaw rooted in President Obama’s antitrust amnesty, which effectively allowed companies like Google to crush competition with impunity. Under this framework, small businesses are shuttered, innovation is stifled, and conservative voices that disagree with the monopolists are silenced. The failure to hold Big Tech accountable is a consequence of the continued misinterpretation of the plain text of the original public meaning of our antitrust laws.
“To truly rein in the abuses of tech monopolists after Judge Mehta's faulty interpretation of our antitrust laws, Congress must act. We need to update our century-old antitrust laws to better address the realities of today's digital marketplace. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley’s bipartisan legislation is a critical first step. It is long past time that we end the era of antitrust amnesty for Big Tech and ensure that companies like Google face the full force of the law when they engage in anticompetitive behavior that harms consumers, businesses, and our republic,” said Davis.
The Article III Project (A3P) defends constitutionalist judges, punches back on radical assaults on judicial independence (like court-packing) and opposes judicial and other nominees who are outside of the mainstream. Davis previously served as Chief Counsel for Nominations to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and led the Senate confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and a record number of circuit court judges.
IAP is a nonprofit conservative advocacy group that holds Big Tech accountable for engaging in egregious business practices like snooping, spying, political bias against conservatives, employee abuses and anticompetitive conduct. Davis previously served as Chief Counsel for Nominations to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and led the Senate confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and a record number of circuit court judges. More information on Davis and IAP can be found here.
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