Born in Gujarat, judge Amit Mehta Lands Google a Legal Blow

HI INDIA NEWS DESK

An Indian American judge Amit Mehta is behind the landmark Google antitrust ruling. Mehta gave the ruling that the tech giant Google used exclusive agreements to make itself the “default” search engine and ad provider on devices. This gave Google a major advantage over its rivals. The trial also revealed that Google paid billions to companies like Apple to remain the default search engine on their devices.

But who is Judge Mehta – the man behind this landmark ruling

Mehta was born in Patan, Gujarat. When he was just one-year-old, his parents moved to the United States. Judge Mehta got himself a BA degree in Political Science and Economics from Georgetown University in 1993 and later graduated with a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997. After finishing law, Judge Mehta worked at the San Francisco office of Latham & Watkins LLP. He also clerked for the Honorable Susan P. Graber of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then joined Zuckerman Spaeder LLP in Washington, DC in 1999, where he worked until 2002. He then joined the District of Columbia Public Defender Service as a staff attorney from 2002 to 2007.

In 2014, former US President Barack Obama appointed him to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, making him a federal judge.

As a judge, Amit Mehta has made important rulings, such as the cases related to the January 6 Capitol riots. He denied former President Donald Trump’s attempt to dismiss civil lawsuits holding him accountable for inciting the riot.