Lobbyists Didnt Write Trump Antitrust Policy

Nine prominent law firms, including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis, settled with ​the White House last ⁠year to rescind or avoid similar actions against them by the administration.

In a motion filed with the appeals court in the District of Columbia, where the cases are playing out, the Justice Department formally asked to withdraw its request on Monday to dismiss the cases against four law firms.

The Justice Department told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Monday that it was no longer interested in pursuing the cases contesting executive orders barring law firms from government business.Credit...Eric Lee for The New York Times

The Justice Department on Monday dropped the fight over President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting firms he disliked, conceding to unanimous rulings from federal judges that found the orders violated the fundamental tenets of the ...

The Justice Department reversed course on Tuesday, telling an appeals court it wanted to continue its battle over executive orders aimed at law firms targeted by President Donald Trump

With respect to the American Express deal, the letter said: “It appears the dismissal may have also prevented the disclosure of contacts between DOJ officials and Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to President Trump where you were a partner until January 2025.” · Roger Alford, the former principal deputy to Slater, suggested in freewheeling remarks at a Tech Policy Institute event shortly after he too was pushed out from the antitrust division last year that he expected political lobbying to shape the outcome of the Live Nation matter.

Move comes day after department said it would drop fight against law firms that stood up to Trump’s executive orders

{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story DOJ ‘s new era of antitrust under Trump The abrupt departure of the Justice Department’s top antitrust enforcer is raising questions about the Trump administration’s approach to anti-monopoly cases and controversial mergers.

In a decision siding with Perkins Coie, a federal judge found that the executive order targeting the firm sent the message that "lawyers must stick to the party line, or else." In ruling for Susman Godfrey, another judge found that the government "sought to use its immense power to dictate the positions that law firms may or may not take," which threatened the foundation of legal representation in the U.S.