Why States Always Have Parens Patriae Standing to Bring Antitrust Suits

Often, states bring antitrust actions as parens patriae, seeking injunctions on behalf of their residents. And nearly as often, defendants assail these actions as lacking standing. But states win these challenges. Always. Asking why, this Article concludes that a state with a colorable antitrust claim necessarily possesses the parens patriae standing to pursue it. The nature of an antitrust claim—a claim that by definition safeguards competition, not individual competitors—embodies parens pa