States Expected to Unveil Google Antitrust Probe Next Week

More than half of state attorneys general are planning to open an antitrust investigation of Google as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.

Multiple states are planning to announce the coordinated probe on Sept. 9, said three people, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive deliberations. The states are also expected to stage the announcement in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, one of the people said. The plans could change.

U.S. antitrust enforcers are already investigating the search giant, which is also a major player in online ads and mobile operating systems. The Department of Justice is scrutinizing the latter two operations. The company has faced antitrust investigations in Europe as well. Although states with Democratic attorneys general have recently led the charge on tech and telecom issues, the group scrutinizing Google is led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, one of the people said.

The Justice Department will not be involved in the announcement, one of the people said. The Washington Post previously reported the state investigation. It was not immediately clear what the probe would focus on or which states would participate.