Judge Allows Google to Keep Ad Business but Orders Changes to Practices

The U.S. Department of Justice has pursued antitrust actions against Google’s advertising operations through two major lawsuits filed in 2020 and 2023. These cases argued that Google’s control over digital advertising, particularly through its search engine and ad technology, amounts to an illegal monopoly. Courts have generally agreed with the government’s position, with rulings in 2024 declaring Google’s search and ad-tech businesses as monopolistic. Despite these findings, recent court decisions have stopped short of ordering a breakup of Google’s core businesses. In 2025, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google could retain its Chrome browser and Android operating system but must end exclusive default search placements and share certain data with competitors. Google is currently appealing these remedies. This week, Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia issued a ruling in the ad-tech case, allowing Google to keep its advertising business intact. Instead of divestiture, the judge mandated changes to Google’s business practices to foster competition, though specific details of these changes were not disclosed. The full ruling will be made public after a 14-day period for redactions. Google welcomed the decision, with Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president for regulatory affairs, stating that the court rejected proposals to dismantle tools that support small businesses in reaching customers. The government’s case highlighted Google’s use of exclusive agreements with device manufacturers and revenue-sharing deals with mobile carriers to secure default search engine status on many devices worldwide. These arrangements have been central to Google’s dominance in the digital advertising market. This ruling marks a significant moment in ongoing efforts to regulate the digital ad ecosystem, which remains complex and opaque. While Google avoids a breakup, the mandated operational changes could impact how the company conducts its advertising business moving forward.