The Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuits against Google, one filed in 2020 focusing on its search dominance and another in 2023 targeting its ad-technology business, argued that Google’s control over the digital ad economy constituted an illegal monopoly. Courts have largely sided with the government, with a 2024 ruling determining that Google’s search business, including its search-ad operation, was an illegal monopoly, and a subsequent case in April 2023 reaching the same conclusion regarding Google’s ad-tech business.

In a ruling handed down on Wednesday, federal judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, who oversaw the ad-tech case, decided that Google would be able to retain its advertising business rather than divesting it. Instead, the judge ordered Google to adjust its business practices to favor competitors, although the ruling did not provide specifics on how the company should implement these changes. Brinkema’s finding that Google had acted illegally in maintaining its ad-tech business dates back to April 2023; this week’s decision addressed only the remedy. Google’s vice president for regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, framed the outcome as a victory, stating that the court rejected the DOJ’s proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers and grow.

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