As Feds pull back on corporate oversight state AGs warn of enforcement gaps

Attorney General Nick Brown and counterparts from other states today underscored the critical antitrust enforcement work state attorneys general have been doing as the federal government has pulled back on corporate oversight.

For years, states have partnered with the federal government to take on some of the biggest corporate mergers in American history. But as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust division has lost key leadership and career attorneys and federal priorities shifted, state attorneys general have once again stepped up to protect Americans from illegal mergers and monopolies. State AGs have a proven track record of collaborating across state lines in antitrust cases for the benefit of their consumers and to safeguard competition.

"Big business monopolies lead to less consumer choice, less competition, and higher prices," said Brown. "Our office has repeatedly stepped up to take on these unfair practices and won, protecting consumers and holding big interests accountable."

Joining Brown in today's virtual press conference were California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, New York Attorney Letitia James, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.

Watch a recording of the press conference here.

In February, Gail Slater, the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for DOJ's antitrust division, was forced out. DOJ's antitrust division has since seen a mass exodus of career lawyers combined with abruptly shifting enforcement priorities. For example, in March the Trump administration settled the Live Nation/Ticketmaster case against the wishes of the 34 states that had co-signed the landmark antitrust lawsuit. Brown and other state attorneys general decided to continue the case - and in mid-April, they won.

In addition to being co-enforcers of the federal antitrust laws, States also have legal authority the federal government doesn't, including the ability to seek monetary relief on behalf of their consumers. Washington has been involved with or is actively pursuing cases spanning groceries, entertainment, and rent prices - the places where monopoly power hits closest to home.

Antitrust cases are complex, time-intensive, and require specialized expertise. Washington has expanded its antitrust capacity significantly over the past 20 years, going from four lawyers to 15 who work on these issues. This capacity allows Washington to bring cases on its own when appropriate, as it did when suing Realpage and nine landlords in April 2025 for conspiring to artificially raise rents on their tenants. One structural advantage to antitrust cases is that attorney fees can often be recovered when states succeed. Washington's antitrust division is entirely funded through recoveries from successful litigation, not by taxpayers.

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