Google will retain its AdX advertising exchange after a federal judge rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed divestiture remedy in United States v. Google LLC. The September 2, 2026 order shifts the case toward behavioral measures rather than a breakup of Google's ad-tech assets, a distinction that matters for advertisers, publishers, and companies that rely on programmatic advertising to reach customers.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema denied the proposed sale of AdX and a contingent divestiture of components of DFP auction logic. Instead, the court accepted most of the parties' proposed behavioral remedies, subject to modifications by the court. The parties have been directed to submit a jointly proposed Final Judgment within 30 days.
The court's September 2 order is the authoritative public record for the remedy decision. Its accompanying Memorandum Opinion will remain under seal for 14 days to allow redactions, after which an unsealed version may be released. That means the broad outcome is clear, while important detail about the court's reasoning and the final remedy terms is still pending.
What the court decided, and what it did not decide
The immediate result is straightforward: AdX remains part of Google. The court did not order Google to sell its ad exchange, nor did it trigger the DOJ's proposed contingent sale of related DFP auction components.
