Attorney General Bonta Issues Statement in Response to Court Approval of US DOJ's HPE/Juniper Merger Settlement

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement in response to a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California approving the U.S. Department of Justice's (U.S. DOJ) proposed settlement of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)/Juniper Networks merger. Last year, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition of 13 attorneys general intervened in the $14 billion HPE/Juniper merger, amid allegations of backroom dealings between U.S. DOJ and lobbyists and concerns that the merger was not in the best interest of the American people.

"We are disappointed by the court's decision accepting the U.S. DOJ's HPE/Juniper merger settlement. The court called U.S. DOJ's deal a 'limited' settlement approved under duress after the Trump Administration threatened to dismiss the lawsuit, leaving the public with no remedies at all - Americans deserve better," said Attorney General Bonta. "Stunningly, and amid allegations of backroom dealings, the court has also recognized that this settlement was not reached through a routine process. My office is committed to standing up for fairness and the integrity of regulatory processes and is proud to have stood up for government transparency and shed critical light on this settlement process."

In the order, the court notes that the states' participation in these Tunney Act proceedings "advanced the public interest in transparency" and "helped the public understand how federal officials exercised their enforcement discretion and conducted litigation and settlement negotiations on behalf of the U.S." The court continues, "If the states had never stepped in, the public would have never known that U.S. DOJ leadership overrode the opinions of the Antitrust Division staff, nor that the Department considered and ultimately rejected alternative settlement proposals."

BACKGROUND

Last year, Attorney General Bonta robustly opposed U.S. DOJ's abrupt settlement of this merger, and in October 2025 asked the court to allow California and other states to participate directly in the investigative proceedings.

According to public reports, U.S. DOJ trial staff working on the merger case, as well as senior leadership in the Antitrust Division, opposed the HPE/Juniper settlement. But higher-level political appointees at the department were lobbied by individuals with close ties to the Trump Administration. The Chief of Staff to the U.S. Attorney General then allegedly pushed the settlement through over the objections of the Antitrust Division and in a manner that did not address the anticompetitive harms alleged in the government's complaint. Two senior Antitrust Division attorneys appointed by the Trump Administration were allegedly fired for opposing the settlement. The allegation that the Trump Administration approved the HPE/Juniper merger - after it had initially sued to stop it - for the benefit of their friends is concerning, especially amid a climate where the Administration appears to be using its power to reward well-connected friends.

Recently, the Trump Administration green-lit the merger of broadcasting giants Nexstar and Tegna and Hollywood titans Warner Bros. and Paramount - putting corporate interests ahead of the interests of everyday Americans - and has stunningly settled its case against Live Nation/Ticketmaster, days into a long-awaited trial to hold the company accountable for harming consumers and the live music industry through its anticompetitive conduct. In both instances, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition of states have soldiered on and vowed to protect consumers and our economy.