Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, TOP STORY: Makan Delrahim nominated for position of Justice Department’s antitrust chief, (Mar 28, 2017)

By Jody Coultas, J.D.

President Trump has announced his intention to nominate Makan Delrahim to serve as assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Delrahim, who currently serves as Deputy Assistant and Deputy Counsel to the President, must be confirmed by the Senate.

Rumors of an impending announcement have circulated for weeks. There were published reports of the pick on March 17.

Delrahim has significant antitrust experience. Prior to working as a partner at a national law firm in Los Angeles and adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine University, Delrahim served in the Justice Department as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Antitrust Division under President George W. Bush. He served on the U.S. Attorney General’s Task Force on Intellectual Property, as Chairman of the Merger Working Group of the International Competition Network, and as a Commissioner on the U.S. Antitrust Modernization Commission. He also served as Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where he was the principal staff architect of antitrust merger reform legislation. Delrahim earlier served at the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Delrahim received his law degree from the George Washington University School of Law, his M.S. from Johns Hopkins University, and his B.S. from UCLA.

American Antitrust Institute comment. American Antitrust Institute President Diana Moss noted, "The upcoming confirmation hearings on the nominee for DOJ antitrust chief will be an excellent opportunity to frame the importance and value of antitrust enforcement. The hearings should focus not only on substantive areas of enforcement such as mergers, cartels, and monopolization, but also the tools and resources available to the Antitrust Division."

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