State attorneys general are taking on antitrust enforcement work as the federal government continues to withdraw from corporate oversight.
For years, states have partnered with the federal government to take on some of the biggest corporate mergers in American history.
The U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, antitrust division has lost key leadership and career attorneys and federal priorities shifted, state attorneys general have 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,” Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement.
Brown said big business monopolies lead to less consumer choice, less competition, and higher prices.
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 in many areas including groceries, entertainment, and rent prices.
Antitrust cases are complex, time-intensive, and require specialized expertise. For example, Washington sued Realpage and nine landlords in April 2025 for conspiring to artificially raise rents on their tenants.
Brown said one advantage to state antitrust cases is that attorney fees can often be recovered when states succeed.
Attorneys general from states of Washington, New York, Oregon, California, and Nevada will be working together on antitrust cases, the attorneys general said at a recent press conference.
