Google trial judge suggests potential trial date, and it’s in 2023

The judge hearing the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust case against Alphabet Inc’s Google suggested a trial date of Sept. 12, 2023, on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta suggested the date during a status conference, and counsel for the two sides did not object. Mehta noted that the two sides appeared to expect that discovery would be completed in March 2022, with other pretrial matters not addressed until early 2023.

“It seems to me that we’re looking at late summer, early fall of 2023 for a trial, a potential trial,” said Mehta before suggesting Sept. 12, 2023, for a potential trial date.

The two sides also began the process of at least partially, consolidating the government’s case with a lawsuit that 38 states and territories filed against Google on Thursday. The state case is broader than the Justice Department’s.

Google’s lawyers and the Justice Department also seemed close to wrapping up details of an order protecting confidential information from corporations which helped with the government’s case as well as on a scheduling order. Both could be completed next week.

The next status hearing was set for Jan. 21