The US Justice Department and a group of states plan to appeal a September 2025 court ruling placing antitrust limits on Google that were considered a slap on the wrist, according to court filings.
The Tuesday notices are in respect to a federal judge’s remedies decision, after Google had been earlier convicted of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search.
The ruling was considered a loss for the Justice Department and states, which had prosecuted parallel cases against Google.
Modest penalties
US District Judge Amit Mehta in August 2024 reached a landmark decision finding Google guilty of carrying on an illegal online search monopoly, but decided only modest remedies were necessary, citing competition from AI start-ups.
The Justice Department and states had asked for tougher penalties, such as forcing Google to divest its Chrome browser.
Mehta imposed some changes to the way Google negotiates exclusivity contracts with smartphone makers such as Apple and Samsung, and said Google must disclose some information to rivals, in a decision that Google is appealing.
Search monopoly
A group of 38 states and territories had backed the case, of which 35 are appealing, according to a notice.
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is likely to hear the cases later this year, and could issue a decision about a year from now, according to past statistics.
