A U.S. federal judge ruled that Google has illegally maintained monopolies in the search and text advertising markets, violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. This landmark decision, stemming from a 2020 government lawsuit, highlights Google's creation of barriers to entry and a feedback loop to sustain its dominance. The ruling, the first significant anti-monopoly decision against a tech company in decades, was supported by the Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of attorneys general from 38 states and territories. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the decision a "historic win for the American people." The court focused on Google's exclusive search arrangements on Android and Apple devices, which cemented its dominance. While the court acknowledged Google's quality products, it ruled that the company operated as a monopoly in general search services and text advertising. Google plans to appeal the decision, with Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs, emphasizing the quality of their search engine. Following the ruling, Alphabet shares fell more than 4%.