Google enters second court battle against DOJ over alleged monopoly

Source: CBS News/AP

September 22, 2025 / 12:44 PM EDT


After deflecting the U.S. Justice Department's attack on its illegal monopoly in online search, Google is facing another attempt to dismantle its internet empire in a trial focused on its abusive tactics in digital advertising.

The trial scheduled to begin Monday in an Alexandria, Virginia, federal court will revolve around the harmful conduct that resulted in U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema declaring parts of Google's digital advertising technology to be an illegal monopoly. The judge found that Google has been engaging in behavior that stifles competition to the detriment of online publishers that depend on the system for revenue.

Google and the Justice Department will spend the next two weeks in court presenting evidence in a "remedy" trial that will culminate in Brinkema issuing a ruling on how to restore fair market conditions.

Although the judge hasn't set a timetable for making that decision, it's unlikely to come down before the end of this year because additional legal briefs and courtroom arguments are expected to extend into November before Brinkema takes the matter under submission. No matter how the judge rules, Google says it will appeal the earlier decision labeling the ad network as a monopoly. Appeals can't be filed until the remedy is determined.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-ad-tech-monopoly-trial-remedy/