WASHINGTON — Google is set to battle the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in federal court on Friday in what could become one of the most consequential legal fights in the history of internet advertising. The hearing, taking place in Alexandria, Virginia, marks the final stage of a trial that will determine whether the tech giant’s dominance in digital advertising should be structurally dismantled.
After a lengthy trial last year, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled in April that parts of Google’s advertising technology were manipulated to establish an illegal monopoly. That verdict led to an additional 11-day trial earlier this fall, designed to determine how Google’s anti-competitive behavior should be remedied.
Friday’s closing arguments will give both sides one last chance to influence Brinkema before she issues a ruling — a decision expected early next year.
DOJ Pushes for Breakup of Google’s Ad Empire
The DOJ is demanding that the court order Google to sell off key components of its digital advertising business, which the agency says has been intentionally engineered to suppress competition for nearly two decades. Prosecutors labeled Google a “recidivist monopolist” and compared its conduct in digital advertising to the abusive power it wielded in the search market.
Federal prosecutors also previously requested a breakup in the Google search monopoly trial, though the judge in that case rejected a drastic remedy that would have forced Google to divest its Chrome web browser. Because the outcome was seen as lenient, Alphabet — Google’s parent company — saw its market value surge by roughly $950 billion, or 37%, within months of that ruling.
The DOJ argues that anything short of a breakup in the ad-tech case would allow Google to continue manipulating the online advertising ecosystem, which currently processes 55 million ad-auction requests per second.
Google Warns of ‘Unprecedented’ and Risky Intervention
Google insists that forced divestiture would have catastrophic consequences across the internet, arguing that its systems must remain intact to keep digital ads functioning reliably for millions of businesses and consumers worldwide.
“This is technology that absolutely has to keep working for consumers,” the company said in recent filings, calling the DOJ’s proposal “legally unprecedented and unsupported divestitures.”
Google claims that its own proposed reforms — including additional transparency and more competitive safeguards — would be a safer path forward. Company lawyers also pointed to rapid market changes brought on by artificial intelligence, arguing that AI is already restructuring online competition.
That argument echoes a previous ruling in the search monopoly case, in which Judge Amit Mehta suggested that AI might weaken Google’s dominance over time.
Government Says Google Cannot Police Itself
The DOJ rejects Google’s assurances, reminding the court of testimony from multiple witnesses who described how Google has repeatedly manipulated computer algorithms to preserve market power in ways that are difficult to detect.
Because Google can alter its systems secretly and with little oversight, the Justice Department says the company “shouldn’t be trusted to change its behavior voluntarily.”
A Pivotal Moment Ahead
The outcome of the trial could reshape the global digital advertising industry — and determine whether Google keeps the infrastructure that has made it one of the most powerful and profitable corporations in history.
Judge Brinkema’s decision is expected to be announced in early 2025.