October 13, 2025
In an article for the Chambers Antitrust Litigation 2025 guide, Craig C. Martin, Chairman, Americas, and Matt D. Basil, partner in Willkie’s Litigation Department, examine the state of U.S. antitrust enforcement including a focus on the Illinois market, a comparison of recent administrations, and the implications for businesses.
Changes in presidential administrations tend to yield changes in policy. The Trump Administration has promulgated 170 orders in 2025 alone, marking substantial changes in American energy, education, and trade policy, among others. In prior eras, changes in administrations often entailed changes in antitrust enforcement, with merger activity rising or falling accordingly. Merger activity spiked following the 2024 election with many businesses expecting a return to a more permissive antitrust scheme. Rather, the Trump Administration has maintained a similarly expansive view of antitrust to that of the Biden Administration, but with markedly different understandings of corporate power and protected interests.
Read the full article in Chambers Antitrust Litigation 2025 here.
Changes in presidential administrations tend to yield changes in policy. The Trump Administration has promulgated 170 orders in 2025 alone, marking substantial changes in American energy, education, and trade policy, among others. In prior eras, changes in administrations often entailed changes in antitrust enforcement, with merger activity rising or falling accordingly. Merger activity spiked following the 2024 election with many businesses expecting a return to a more permissive antitrust scheme. Rather, the Trump Administration has maintained a similarly expansive view of antitrust to that of the Biden Administration, but with markedly different understandings of corporate power and protected interests.
Read the full article in Chambers Antitrust Litigation 2025 here.
