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For decades, California enforcers and politicians have argued for state-level antitrust enforcement activity at a level commensurate with California’s $4.1 trillion economy, the largest state economy in the United States. Only recently, however, have those rumblings coalesced into concrete proposals with significant political momentum. Most notably, in 2022 the California Legislature authorized the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC)—a state agency tasked with examining California law and recommending reforms—to study potential revisions to the state’s antitrust laws. This initiative led to the formation of working groups around eight major topics, including single-firm conduct, mergers and acquisitions, and technology platforms.

On April 17, 2025, a federal district court denied a motion to dismiss the first government enforcement action brought in decades under the Robinson-Patman Act (“RPA”), a statute that prohibits price discrimination and other anticompetitive distribution practices.

On April 14, 2025, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) obtained a high-profile “wage-fixing” conviction under the Sherman Act against a former executive of multiple home health care agencies (“HHAs”).

Hill Wellford and Mike Scarborough offered insights on antitrust developments affecting the technology industry.

On February 27, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) announced a suspension of enforcement actions related to the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”).

On February 26, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced the formation of a Joint Labor Task Force aimed at addressing deceptive, unfair, and anticompetitive practices impacting labor markets.

California continues to ramp up recent efforts to ferret out anticompetitive conduct in the Golden State through oversight and enforcement.

Darren Tucker and Jason Powers discussed recent antitrust developments in the energy sector and what lies ahead for companies in 2025.

Vinson & Elkins’ 2024 Chemicals & Energy Antitrust Report details the antitrust approach expected under the upcoming Trump administration, with a focus on boosting oil and gas production.

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has revised the thresholds that govern pre-merger notification requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (“HSR Act”), and Section 8 of the Clayton Act governing “interlocking directorates.”

On Friday, January 10, 2025, the Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, American Investment Council, and Longview Chamber of Commerce filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Texas against the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and its Chair Lina Khan to block the enforcement of the FTC’s new rule expanding the scope of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Premerger Notification Form (the “new HSR Rule”) set to take effect on February 10, 2025.

On December 18, 2024, the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) announced that Tencent Holdings Ltd. (“Tencent”) had removed two directors from the board of Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) and relinquished its right to unilaterally appoint directors to Epic’s board going forward.