Update: Judge Rejects US Bid to Force Google to Divest Ad Exchange

01:23 PM EDT, 09/02/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Google's response to a request for comment in the penultimate paragraph and the Justice Department's Antitrust Division's statement in the final paragraph.) A judge in federal district court in Virginia on Wednesday rejected the United States' proposed structural remedies that would require Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google to sell AdX, its advertising exchange, according to court documents. The US' proposal also included the open-sourcing of DFP's final auction logic and the contingent divestiture of the DFP Remainder, which were also rejected. "We're very pleased the Court rejected the DOJ's proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers and grow, said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google vice president, regulatory affairs, in a statement to MT Newswires. "The Antitrust Division is pleased that the court ordered substantial relief in the Google Ad Tech case. We are one step closer to restoring competition and bringing relief for the American people in online advertising markets. The Department is evaluating appropriate next steps," the Justice Department's Antitrust Division said on X. Price: 334.83, Change: +2.80, Percent Change: +0.84