Source: https://www.arnoldporter.com/en/perspectives/publications/2018/07/supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaughs-antitrust
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 14:56:38+00:00

Document:
On July 9, 2018, President Trump announced the nomination of DC Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill Anthony Kennedy's seat on the US Supreme Court, in light of Justice Kennedy's retirement effective July 31, 2018. This Advisory reviews Judge Kavanaugh's approach to antitrust law as reflected in his opinions.
Since Judge Kavanaugh joined the DC Circuit in 2006, he has weighed in on two significant mergers and a number of other antitrust issues. Judge Kavanaugh has been skeptical of government efforts to block mergers, dissenting from the majority in United States v. Anthem, Inc. and F.T.C. v. Whole Foods Market on efficiencies and market definition grounds.
Judge Kavanaugh has written or joined two decisions involving allegations that brand-name drug manufacturers attempted to delay the entry of generic competitors.
855 F.3d 345, 350 (D.C. Cir. 2017).
Id. at 353 ("Despite, however, widespread acceptance of the potential benefit of efficiencies as an economic matter . . . it is not at all clear that they offer a viable legal defense to illegality under Section 7").
Anthem, 855 F.3d at 377.
F.T.C. v. Whole Foods Market, 548 F.3d 1028 (D.C. Cir. 2008).
Id. at 367 (Kavanaugh, J., dissenting).
Id. at 348 (citing FTC v. Food Town Stores, Inc., 539 F.2d 1339, 1342 (4th Cir. 1976)).
Id. at 365 (Kavanaugh, J., dissenting).
Id. at 376 (Kavanaugh, J., dissenting).
892 F.3d 1264 (D.C. Cir. June 19, 2018). Judge Kavanaugh wrote the opinion for the panel majority. Judge Pillard wrote a concurring opinion agreeing with the majority opinion and adding additional comments.
Id. at 1269 (quoting Upjohn v. United States, 449 U.S. 383, 392 (1981)).
717 F.3d 982, 984-86 (D.C. Cir. 2013).
Id. at 987 ("Without showing any benefit for Comcast from incurring the additional fees for assigning Tennis a more advantageous tier, the Commission has not provided evidence that Comcast discriminated against tennis on the basis of affiliation.").
Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc., v. PSKS, Inc., 551 U.S. 877 (2007).
Copperweld Corp. v. Independence Tube Corp., 467 U.S. 752, 775 (1984).
Id. at 990 ("Because Section 616 incorporates antitrust principles and because antitrust law holds that vertical integration and vertical contracts are potentially problematic only when a firm has market power in the relevant market, it follows that Section 616 applies only when a video programming distributor has market power in the relevant market.").

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