Who is Amit Mehta, the Indian-origin judge at the centre of the landmark Google antitrust case?

Judge Amit Mehta

Amit Mehta, the Indian-origin judge presiding over the landmark antitrust case against Google, has become a pivotal figure in the US tech regulation landscape. Appointed by former President Barack Obama to the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 2014, Mehta is at the centre of the case that Google violated antitrust laws — his decision could reshape how digital search and AI platforms are governed.

Born in Gujarat’s Patan district in 1971, Mehta moved to the US with his family as an infant. He earned his BA in Political Science and Economics from Georgetown University and completed his JD at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997. His career includes stints at top law firms like Latham & Watkins and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, where he represented high-profile clients, including former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, as per multiple online reports.

Mehta is also known for culturally rich rulings that reference pop icons like Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Interestingly, he denied Donald Trump’s attempt to dismiss civil lawsuits related to the January 6 Capitol riots, stating that presidential immunity could not shield unprecedented conduct.

The Google case

In the Google case, Mehta has termed the tech giant as a “monopolist”. “After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Mehta said in August 2024.

There has been a lot of pressure on Google to break up the company -- especially the Chrome division. Judge Mehta had pressed Google’s lead attorney, John Schmidtlein, on whether divesting Chrome might be a simpler remedy compared to other proposals.

Schmidtlein firmly disagreed, insisting it would be anything but easy. He dismissed the idea outright, saying any potential buyer would be a “bargain basement” option.

As the judge weighing remedies against Google’s dominance — including proposals affecting its AI tools and the Chrome browser — Mehta’s role could have deep implications for tech’s future.