Indian-born, Obama-nominated judge Amit Mehta to hear US antitrust case against Google

US District Judge Amit Mehta, who was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama, has been selected to hear the US Justice Department’s case against Alphabet’s Google, according to a court filing on Wednesday.

Mehta, who was confirmed to the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 2014, heard a Federal Trade Commission fight to block a merger of Sysco and US Foods. In 2015, he ruled for the government and the deal was abandoned.

In this case, the US Justice Department is accusing Google of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals. It is the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech in decades.