Slaughter ruling, Ferguson move narrow US FTC, DOJ merger differences
By Flavia Fortes ( June 30, 2026, 22:41 GMT | Comment) -- The US Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter is likely to be remembered for transforming the Federal Trade Commission's independence. But it also underscores a quieter shift in US merger enforcement: the practical differences between the FTC and the Justice Department are steadily disappearing. That convergence was already underway. Earlier this year, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced that the agency would challenge mergers exclusively in federal court, ending the practice of pursuing administrative litigation after seeking a preliminary injunction. Combined with Slaughter, the move leaves the agencies looking more alike than they have in decades. The US Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter is likely to be remembered for transforming the Federal Trade Commission's independence. But it also underscores a quieter shift in US merger enforcement: the practical differences between the FTC and the Department of Justice are steadily disappearing....
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