US: What’s the DOJs next move in the AT&T case?

The AT&T’s case is far from over, reported CNN. Judge Richard Leon’s ruling from June 12 was seen by many as a stinging rebuke to the Justice Department (DOJ) and its attempt to block AT&T’s US$85 billion bid to acquire Time Warner. The DOJ can appeal the ruling, and the department’s antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, is considering that option.

“I think the constitution and the statues allow for due process for all litigants and we will take a look at what the next steps are,” Delrahim told reporters outside the courthouse following Judge Leon’s ruling.

According to CNN, the DOJ could seek a stay of his decision, essentially freezing the combination of the two companies while the case works its way through the appeals process.

But the DOJ would have to go through Judge Leon first, and in Tuesday’s hearing, he used unusually strong language to discourage the department from asking him for an injunction. He said such a request would be “manifestly unjust” because it would have the effect of killing the acquisition, since AT&T and Time Warner’s agreement expires on June 21.

“I hope and trust that the government will have the good judgment, the wisdom, and the courage to avoid such a manifest injustice,” he said in court. “To do otherwise, I fear, would undermine the faith in our system of justice of not only the defendants but their millions of shareholders and the business community at large.”

Full Content: CNN

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