US judge approves HPE's $14 bn takeover of Juniper despite concerns

A US federal judge on Wednesday approved a settlement allowing Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to acquire a competitor, Juniper Networks, while finding that both HPE and the US Justice Department violated transparency rules.

The decision brings an end to one of the most hotly contested antitrust cases of President Donald Trump's second term.

The Department of Justice initially challenged the $14 billion merger in January 2025, then reversed course and worked on a settlement as the trial approached.

HPE appealed directly to the department's political leadership, with the help of lobbyists close to the Trump administration, after the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division rejected a proposed settlement, according to a court document.

Two senior antitrust officials were fired in the aftermath, and the head of the division, Gail Slater, stepped down in February. Her designated successor is still awaiting confirmation.

In a ruling published Wednesday evening, San Jose-based Judge Casey Pitts acknowledged the acquisition "may lessen competition" but that the court "lacks the independent power to prevent that outcome."

The judge also identified two violations of the Tunney Act, a 1974 law that requires a judge to ensure an antitrust settlement serves the public interest.

HPE failed to disclose lobbying efforts targeting the CIA and the Pentagon, and the Trump administration withheld information about alternative remedies it had considered, the ruling said.

The violations do not, however, prevent approval of the settlement, the ruling continued, because the concealed information was eventually made public by twelve states and the District of Columbia, which intervened in the case.

In a statement provided to AFP, a senior official in the Antitrust Division on Thursday denounced the state-led attempt to block the deal as a "politically motivated charade" that has "finally come to an end."

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Juniper Networks

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE