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A federal judge on Friday ruled that U.S. Sugar can proceed with its $315 million acquisition of rival Imperial Sugar, rejecting a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit.

Why it matters: This is the latest in a string of losses for Biden antitrust officials, in both DOJ and the FTC, as Axios reported last week. The next big test will be DOJ's efforts to stop book publisher Penguin Random House's proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster.

Antitrust regulators lose U.S. Sugar case

This is the latest in a string of losses for Biden antitrust officials.

Illustration of a bag of sugar, labeled "$ugar."

Antitrust law

A federal judge on Friday ruled that U.S. Sugar can proceed with its $315 million acquisition of rival Imperial Sugar, rejecting a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit.Why it matters: This is the latest in a string of losses for Biden antitrust officials, in both DOJ and the FTC, as Axios <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reported last week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/20/us-antitrust-regulators-take-another-big-loss" data-vars-content-id="de549e2e-439a-4b9b-88b4-84d94714fe4f" data-vars-headline="Antitrust regulators lose U.S. Sugar case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/20/us-antitrust-regulators-take-another-big-loss" target="_self">reported last week</a>. The next big test will be DOJ&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="efforts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/11/02/doj-penguin-random-houses-simon-schuster" data-vars-content-id="de549e2e-439a-4b9b-88b4-84d94714fe4f" data-vars-headline="Antitrust regulators lose U.S. Sugar case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/11/02/doj-penguin-random-houses-simon-schuster" target="_self">efforts</a> to stop book publisher Penguin Random House&#x27;s proposed acquisition of Simon &amp; Schuster.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

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President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Antitrust regulators lose U.S. Sugar case

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