Both Google and the Department of Justice have perfected competing appeals of U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's September 2025 remedies order, bringing the…
Both Google and the Department of Justice have perfected competing appeals of U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's September 2025 remedies order, bringing the most consequential antitrust appellate proceeding in more than two decades to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [1]. The two sides are challenging the order from opposite directions: Google contests data-sharing mandates and the creation of a technical oversight committee, while the DOJ's cross-appeal presses for stronger structural relief, including a forced divestiture of the Chrome browser [1][2]. The remedies order remains in legal limbo as Google pursues a stay pending the outcome of the appeal [2].
The appeals arise from Judge Mehta's liability finding in *United States v. Google*, in which the court held that Google unlawfully maintained a monopoly in the general search and search advertising markets [1]. Mehta issued his remedies order in September 2025, and both parties filed notices of appeal thereafter, perfecting the competing cross-appeals before the DC Circuit [2]. DOJ Antitrust Division head Abigail Slater has signaled the government's intent to push for remedies that go beyond behavioral conditions and reach the company's structural arrangements [1].
The appellate stakes are substantial. Briefing schedules are expected to be set by mid-2026, with oral arguments projected for late 2026 or early 2027 [1]. The DC Circuit will be asked to resolve whether Judge Mehta's behavioral remedies are sufficient under Sherman Act precedent or whether the government is entitled to the structural relief it seeks, a question that could determine whether Google must shed one of its most widely distributed access points to its search engine [2]. Analysts and practitioners have drawn comparisons to *United States v. Microsoft*, the 2001 DC Circuit ruling that reshaped how courts evaluate structural remedies in tech-platform monopoly cases [1].
The outcome will carry significant implications beyond this litigation. A ruling endorsing divestiture would mark the first court-ordered breakup of a major technology company in the United States and would provide a precedent framework for ongoing and prospective antitrust actions targeting large digital platforms [1][2]. Google, for its part, argues that the remedies imposed already exceed what the law requires and that forced divestiture would harm consumers and the broader digital economy [2]. The DC Circuit's eventual decision, whether on the merits or on any stay motion resolved in the interim, will shape both the remedies calculus in this case and the government's enforcement posture across the technology sector for years to come [1].
—
**Meta Description:** Google and DOJ have each appealed Judge Mehta's September 2025 antitrust remedies order to the DC Circuit, with oral arguments expected by early 2027 and Chrome divestiture on the table.
**Slug:** google-doj-antitrust-remedies-appeal-dc-circuit
**Tags:** Legal News, Appellate Development, United States v. Google, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, Antitrust, Big Tech, Search Monopoly, Google, Department of Justice, DC Circuit Court of Appeals, Amit Mehta, Abigail Slater
**Metadata:**
– subject: United States v. Google, Search Monopoly Remedies Appeal
– subject_type: Appellate Development
– date: 2026-05-22
– jurisdiction: federal
– country: United States
– region: District of Columbia
– city: Washington
– key_people: Amit Mehta, Abigail Slater
– key_organizations: Google, Department of Justice, DC Circuit Court of Appeals
– themes: Antitrust, Big Tech, Search Monopoly
– significance: The first appellate review of a court-ordered antitrust remedy against a dominant search platform since United States v. Microsoft, with potential to compel structural breakup of Google's search distribution infrastructure.
**References:**
[1] Tech Insider. (2026, April 27). Google's 90% Search Monopoly Faces DOJ Breakup [2026]. https://tech-insider.org/google-antitrust-appeal-doj-search-monopoly-2026/
[2] PYMNTS. (2026, May 22). Google Appeals Court Decision on Search Monopoly. https://www.pymnts.com/google/2026/google-appeals-court-decision-on-search-monopoly/