Jonathan Kanter

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Following Kanter's inauguration, Google wrote to the DOJ to request Kanter's recusal from the United States v. Google search antitrust case. According to The New York Times , Google's complaint centered on Kanter's past criticism of the company's business practices, which Google considered proof of his lack of impartiality in the case, as well as his past representation of Google competitors. [36] Google's request for recusal was criticized as lacking legal basis by Laurence Tribe, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, as well as by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who accused Google of trying to "bully law enforcement." [8]

In May 2022, it was reported that Kanter would be temporarily barred from participating in antitrust scrutiny of Google until the DOJ decides if he must ultimately recuse himself. [37] In response, a coalition of 28 advocacy groups wrote in favor of allowing Kanter to continue his participation in the case. [38] According to a June 2022 report in The Daily Beast , the decision of whether to allow Kanter to participate in United States v. Google would fall on Vanita Gupta, associate attorney general. [39]

In January 2023, it was reported that Kanter would be cleared to continue to work on DOJ cases involving Google. [40]

Political views

Throughout his career, Kanter has been a critic of Big Tech. [41] [42] Kanter has questioned the value of the dominant "consumer welfare standard" in antitrust policy, arguing that the purpose of antitrust enforcement "is not to decide what is maximally efficient, but to enforce the law". [43] Kanter has been described as being associated with the anti-monopolistic New Brandeis movement alongside FTC chair Lina Khan and National Economic Council (NEC) advisor Tim Wu. [2] [3] Kanter's approach to antitrust enforcement has been criticized by former Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers. [44]

See also

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References

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Jonathan Kanter
Jonathan Kanter, Assistant Attorney General 2.jpg
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division
In office
November 16, 2021 December 20, 2024