Indian-American Judge Amit Mehta and His Impact on the Google Antitrust Case

Amit Mehta is Indian origin judge in a US District Court. He is in the news after delivering a significant legal ruling against Google, finding that the tech giant leveraged exclusive agreements to position itself as the “default” search engine and ad provider on various devices. This arrangement gave Google a substantial edge over its competitors, with the trial revealing that the company paid billions to firms like Apple to secure its default status.

Who is District Court Judge Amit Mehta?

Born in Patan, Gujarat, Amit Mehta emigrated to the United States with his family when he was just one year old. He pursued his education in the U.S., earning a BA in Political Science and Economics from Georgetown University in 1993, followed by a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.

After completing law school, Mr. Mehta began his legal career at Latham & Watkins LLP in San Francisco. He later served as a clerk for Judge Susan P. Graber of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 1999, Mehta joined the Washington, DC office of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, where he focused on white-collar criminal defense, complex business disputes, and appellate advocacy.

Between the year of 2002 and 2007, Mr. Mehta worked as a staff attorney at the District of Columbia Public Defender Service before returning to Zuckerman Spaeder. During his tenure there, he played an active role in the legal community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and co-chairing the Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section Steering Committee of the District of Columbia Bar. He was also involved with Facilitating Leadership in Youth, a non-profit organization dedicated to mentoring and supporting at-risk youth.

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On December 22, 2014, Amit Mehta was appointed as a federal judge to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by former President Barack Obama. Since then, he has presided over several high-profile cases, including those involving the January 6 Capitol riots. Notably, he denied former President Donald Trump’s request to dismiss civil lawsuits that sought to hold him accountable for inciting the riot, stating that such a decision was consistent with the purposes behind presidential immunity, despite the significant implications.

Judge Mehta has also represented notable clients during his legal career, including former US Representative Tom Feeney and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). His successful defense of Strauss-Kahn against criminal assault charges in a New York court is among his most recognized legal victories.