A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Google will not be required to sell its online advertising exchange, AdX, rejecting a bid by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). While the court found that Google had acted illegally in leveraging its market power to disadvantage competitors and unlawfully locked publishers into using its exchange, it did not agree that the company broke the law concerning tools used by advertisers. This decision represents a symbolic victory for Google, as it is the third time in a row that a judge has rejected a significant breakup bid by U.S. antitrust enforcers against a major tech company. The DOJ had sought the sale of AdX as a remedy after Google lost an antitrust trial in 2025. Judge Leonie Brinkema has sealed the order for 14 days to allow for redactions, after which the specific remedies will be known. Google has also recently faced and lost other antitrust cases, including one focused on search and another brought by Epic Games concerning the Play Store.
The Justice Department had spent years attempting to break up Google’s advertising business across two separate antitrust lawsuits, arguing the company’s dominance in the digital ad economy constitutes an illegal monopoly. Courts have largely sided with the government, with a 2024 ruling determining Google’s search business was an illegal monopoly. In September 2025, the judge overseeing that case rejected divestiture requests for Chrome and Android but ordered an end to exclusive default-placement deals and mandated data sharing with competitors, which Google is appealing.
In the ad-tech case, Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia stated that Google would keep its advertising business but must adjust its practices to favor competitors. The ruling did not provide specifics on these adjustments. Google framed the outcome as a win, with its vice president for regulatory affairs stating satisfaction that the court rejected the DOJ's proposal. The government's case largely focused on Google's tactics to ensure its search engine was the default on devices worldwide, using exclusive agreements with manufacturers and revenue-sharing deals with carriers to maintain its dominant position.
