In a joint press release, the FTC and Antitrust Division
announced they are launching a review of the Merger Guidelines so
the agencies "review mergers with the skepticism the law
demands" in order to "determine if they are too
permissive." Richard Powers, the Acting Assistant Attorney
General for Antitrust is a criminal lawyer by background and has no
significant merger experience so it's fair to assume this
initiative is being promoted by FTC Chair Lina Khan.
Merger Guidelines are often cited by courts for their persuasive
authority but do not carry the force of law. They are influential
because they reflect a fair view of current economic learning,
reduced to an administrable set of principles to guide agency
merger staffs and businesses alike. The current horizontal merger
guidelines were published in 2010 so perhaps it is time for an
update. What we see in the press release, however, is a strong
signal that the agencies will not incorporate the latest