A federal court has ruled that Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the digital advertising market, marking a significant legal victory for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a decision issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the tech giant was found to have used its dominance in the online ad space to harm competitors, publishers, and consumers. The court concluded that Google’s practices “harmed Google’s publishing customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web.”
The DOJ announced the ruling Thursday, calling it a “landmark victory” in its ongoing efforts to rein in the market power of major technology firms. The case marks the second major monopolization suit the department has brought against Google.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to challenging the influence of Big Tech. “We will continue taking bold legal action to protect the American people from encroachments on free speech and free markets by tech companies,” she said in a statement.
Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater, who heads the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, said the ruling affirmed Google’s status as a monopolist and accused the company of abusing that position to suppress information critical of its business practices.
“Today’s opinion confirms Google’s controlling hand over online advertising and, increasingly, the internet itself,” Slater said, following the verdict from the trial held in September 2024.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed in January 2023 by the DOJ and attorneys general from multiple states. The suit alleged that Google used a series of acquisitions and manipulated online ad auctions to maintain its dominance over the ad tech stack — the suite of tools that enables the buying, selling, and optimization of digital advertising.
Prosecutors claimed the company engaged in anticompetitive behavior for more than 15 years, effectively sidelining rivals and consolidating power over how ads are bought and sold across the open web.
The court’s ruling paves the way for potential remedies that could reshape the digital advertising industry and impose new limits on one of the most powerful players in the online economy.
