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Democratic AGs Urge Court to Reconsider DOJ Settlement in $14B HPE-Juniper Deal

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A coalition of 20 Democratic attorneys general, led by Colorado’s Phil Weiser, is urging a federal court to scrutinize and potentially reject the U.S. Department of Justice’s settlement that cleared Hewlett-Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks.

In a letter filed Friday, the AGs argued the court must examine whether the DOJ’s decision was tainted by “undue influence” from politically connected lobbyists. “If… the evidence establishes that it was the product of undue influence, then the court should reject it as against the public interest,” Weiser wrote.

The DOJ initially sued to block the merger in January, shortly after Trump took office, citing antitrust concerns that the deal would leave HPE and Cisco controlling over 70% of the U.S. networking equipment market. But just before trial in June, the DOJ reversed course, dropping its case in exchange for HPE agreeing to license Juniper’s AI technology and divest a unit serving small and mid-sized businesses.

That reversal has fueled controversy. Two DOJ antitrust officials who approved the settlement were later fired, in what sources described as retaliation against division head Gail Slater for resisting political pressure to settle. Former DOJ official Roger Alford, one of those dismissed, later accused leadership of having “perverted justice” to favor HPE.

The AGs want the court to hear testimony from Alford and other DOJ staff, as well as consultants tied to HPE, before finalizing approval. The push sets up another flashpoint in the broader debate over antitrust enforcement and political interference in major tech-sector mergers.

Judge Rejects Apple’s Bid to Dismiss U.S. Antitrust Lawsuit over iPhone Market Power

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Apple must face a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit accusing it of unlawfully maintaining monopoly power in the U.S. smartphone market, a federal judge ruled on Monday. The decision paves the way for a potentially years-long legal battle over Apple’s business practices.

U.S. District Judge Julien Neals in Newark, New Jersey, denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the case, which centers on how the company allegedly uses technical and contractual restrictions to limit competition. The DOJ, joined by several states and Washington, D.C., argues that Apple has implemented policies that discourage users from switching to rival devices and suppress third-party innovation in areas like apps, smartwatches, messaging, and digital wallets.

An Apple spokesperson responded by saying the company believes the lawsuit is flawed in both fact and law, and vowed to vigorously defend itself in court. The DOJ declined to comment on the ruling.

Apple’s iPhone, the world’s most popular smartphone, generated $201 billion in sales in 2024. The tech giant introduced a new budget iPhone model in February, pricing it $170 higher than the previous version despite added features.

The antitrust case, filed in March 2024, argues that Apple’s practices—including restricting app developer access, imposing high fees, and limiting device interoperability—create unlawful barriers to competition. Apple counters that these policies are necessary for security and innovation, and that being forced to share proprietary technology could undermine its product ecosystem.

This case joins a broader wave of U.S. antitrust actions against major tech companies, spanning both the Biden and Trump administrations. Meta Platforms and Amazon are also facing monopoly lawsuits, while Google-owner Alphabet is battling two separate antitrust cases.

Google’s $32 Billion Acquisition of Wiz Faces U.S. Antitrust Review, Bloomberg Reports

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The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing Google’s planned $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz to determine if the deal could unlawfully reduce competition in the marketplace, according to Bloomberg News citing sources familiar with the matter.

This acquisition would be Alphabet’s largest to date and aims to integrate Wiz into Google’s cloud division, bolstering its cybersecurity offerings for enterprise customers to manage critical risks.

Both Google and the DOJ declined to comment, and Wiz did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request. The deal reportedly gained momentum after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, amid expectations of a more favorable antitrust environment.

Executives at Wiz reportedly remained cautious following the collapse of Adobe’s $20 billion attempt to buy Figma due to antitrust challenges in late 2023. Google has agreed to pay Wiz over $3.2 billion if the deal fails to close.

Trump’s appointments of Andrew Ferguson as FTC chair and Gail Slater to oversee DOJ antitrust reviews reportedly increased confidence in a smoother regulatory process.

This scrutiny arrives as Google also faces ongoing DOJ lawsuits alleging monopoly abuses in online search and advertising technology markets. In April, a U.S. judge ruled Google liable for “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in publisher ad servers and ad exchange markets.