States Argue for Transparency and Antitrust Oversight
In their motion, the coalition asserted that states have an inherent duty to enforce Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which forbids mergers that could substantially lessen competition. They emphasized that public trust depends on the integrity of antitrust settlements, especially when the stakes involve multi-billion-dollar mergers affecting key technology markets.
“The states have a strong interest in ensuring antitrust settlements are free from the taint of corruption,” the filing states, adding that their legal questions overlap significantly with the DOJ’s case and the Tunney Act review.
DOJ Warned Merger Would Undermine Innovation
The DOJ’s January lawsuit opposing the HPE–Juniper merger argued that the deal could cripple competition and innovation in the enterprise-grade wireless LAN technology market, which powers critical sectors from hospitals to small businesses.
Regulators warned that combining the two network giants would “significantly reduce competition and weaken innovation” for large-scale networking systems — the digital arteries that keep modern organizations connected.
