United States
A. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
1. FTC Chairman commits to pursuing merger challenges exclusively in federal court.
During a Feb. 20, 2026, speech, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson expressed a preference to challenge mergers in federal court at the outset, rather than using the agency’s internal adjudication process, where cases are decided by an administrative law judge, then appealed to the FTC Commissioners, and then appealed to a federal court. Ferguson stated the change would align FTC and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) legal standards and reduce the risk of constitutional challenges to the agency’s internal adjudication process. Ferguson further noted that this approach would increase credibility in the FTC’s enforcement.