October 13, 2006

AT&T purchase prompts claim U.S. tries to avoid court review

The U.S. Justice Department\'s decision to approve without conditions AT&T Inc.\'s $79 billion takeover of BellSouth Corp. has triggered complaints that the agency tailored its clearance to avoid judicial scrutiny. Consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers say the department tried to head off a court review that would have been mandatory were conditions attached. Stephen Calkins, who teaches antitrust law at Wayne State University, said Congress "thought things had tilted too far towards virtually complete deference\'\' to the government.

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