Kanter Warns of Plutocracy After Court's "Weak" Google Antitrust Remedy

Washington D.C. – Jonathan Kanter, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, has voiced strong criticism regarding a recent federal court ruling on Google’s antitrust violations, calling the remedy "weak" and linking it to the dangers of plutocracy. In an op-ed published in The New York Times on September 7, 2025, Kanter expressed significant disappointment with the court's decision, which he believes failed to adequately hold Google accountable.

The federal court in Washington had previously ruled that Google illegally monopolized online search. However, according to Kanter's piece, the remedy issued on Tuesday fell short, declining to order the divestiture of Google's Chrome browser and permitting the company to continue paying billions to rivals to maintain its default search position. Kanter, who oversaw the trial and helped draft the government's initial proposed remedies, argued that this outcome sends a message that "it pays to break the law."

Kanter's article, titled "Why the Court Let Google Off Easy," articulated a broader concern about the implications of such rulings. He stated in the piece, and later reiterated in a tweet, that > "At a time when authoritarian power is on the rise, we must not forget that plutocracy is also its own kind of dictatorship." He elaborated that the failure to enforce antitrust laws with conviction leads to "enormous concentrations of wealth" gaining excessive influence over daily lives.

The Assistant Attorney General emphasized that antitrust enforcement extends beyond mere prices or products, serving to ensure that individuals can shape their own futures and to restore public faith in competitive markets. Kanter urged the Justice Department and state attorneys general to appeal the ruling, advocating for a stronger remedy commensurate with the gravity of Google's violations. He also noted that another federal antitrust case concerning Google's advertising business is set for a decision later this month in a Virginia federal court.