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{{Short description|American federal judge (born 1971)}}
{{Infobox judge
|name = Amit Mehta
|image = Mehta A.jpg
|caption = Official portrait, 2016
|office = Judge of the [[United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]]
|term_start = June 1, 2021
|term_end =
|appointer = [[John Roberts]]
|predecessor = [[James Boasberg]]
|successor =
|office1 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia]]
|term_start1 = December 19, 2014
|term_end1 =
|appointer1 = [[List of federal judges appointed by Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]
|predecessor1 = [[Ellen Segal Huvelle]]
|successor1 =
|birth_name = Amit Priyavadan Mehta
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1971}}
|birth_place = [[Patan, Gujarat]], India
|death_date =
|death_place =
|education = [[Georgetown University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Virginia School of Law|University of Virginia]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Amit Priyavadan Mehta''' (born 1971) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as a [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]]. He was appointed in 2014 by President [[Barack Obama]]. In 2021, Mehta became a judge on the [[United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]].

Mehta presided over cases related to [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|attack on the United States Capitol]] on January 6, 2021,<ref name=":3" /> and the [[United States v. Google LLC (2020)|Google antitrust case]].<ref name=":1"></ref> In 2022, he rejected efforts by [[Donald Trump]] to dismiss lawsuits accusing the former President of legal responsibility in the attacks.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Cheney |first1=Kyle |last2=Gerstein |first2=Josh |date=2022-02-18 |title=Judge rejects Trump effort to toss lawsuits accusing him of Jan. 6 conspiracy |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/18/trump-january-6-lawsuit-00010249 |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Mehta was born in 1971 in [[Patan, Gujarat]], India.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/hip-hop-loving-indian-american-judge-rules-against-trump-in-fight-for-his-financial-records/articleshow/69432068.cms|title=Hip-hop loving Indian-American judge rules against Trump in fight for his financial records|last=Rajghatta|first=Chidanand|date=May 21, 2019|work=[[Times of India]]|access-date=21 May 2019}}</ref> At the age of one, Mehta immigrated with his parents, Priyavadan and Ragini Mehta, to the United States.<ref name=":2" /> His mother worked as a [[laboratory technician]], while his father worked as an engineer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kulkarni |first=Bhargavi |date=2022-11-30 |title='One of the Most Intelligent Judges': Defense Attorneys Praise Judge Amit Mehta For Conducting a Fair Seditious Conspiracy Trial |url=https://americankahani.com/lead-stories/one-of-the-most-intelligent-judges-defense-attorneys-praise-judge-amit-mehta-for-conducting-a-fair-seditious-conspiracy-trial/ |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=American Kahani |language=en-US}}</ref> Mehta was raised in [[Reisterstown, Maryland]], a suburb of [[Baltimore]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Maqsood |first=Zofeen |date=2019-05-25 |title=Newsmaker: Amit Mehta, the Indian American judge who ruled against President Trump - The American Bazaar |url=https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2019/05/24/newsmaker-amit-mehta-the-indian-american-judge-who-ruled-against-president-trump-437685/,%20https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2019/05/24/newsmaker-amit-mehta-the-indian-american-judge-who-ruled-against-president-trump-437685/ |access-date=2023-06-02 |language=en-US}}</ref> He graduated from [[Franklin High School (Reisterstown, Maryland)|Franklin High School]] in 1989.

Mehta graduated from [[Georgetown University]] in 1993 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[economics]], graduating [[Phi Beta Kappa]]. From 1993 to 1994, Mehta worked as a [[paralegal]] at the law firm Patton Boggs (now [[Squire Patton Boggs]]). He then attended the [[University of Virginia School of Law]], where he was an editor of the ''[[Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law]]''. He graduated in 1997 with a [[Juris Doctor]] and [[Order of the Coif]] honors.

== Early career ==
After graduating from law school, Mehta spent a year as an associate at the law firm [[Latham & Watkins]] before leaving to be a [[law clerk]] to Judge [[Susan P. Graber]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] from 1998 to 1999. He was an associate at the law firm Zuckerman Spaeder, LLP from 1999 to 2002, then became a staff attorney at the [[Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia]] from 2002 to 2007.

From 2007 to 2014, he rejoined Zuckerman Spaeder, serving as partner from 2010 to 2014. He represented clients in civil and criminal matters before state and federal courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/07/31/president-obama-nominates-two-serve-united-states-district-courts|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the United States District Courts|date=31 July 2014 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.zuckerman.com/amit_mehta Official Biography at Zuckerman Spaeder] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050845/http://www.zuckerman.com/amit_mehta |date=August 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="fjc.gov">{{FJC Bio|nid=1394756|inline=yes}}</ref> While in the private sector, he represented former Managing Director of the [[International Monetary Fund]] [[Dominique Strauss-Kahn]].<ref name=":1" />

== Federal judicial service ==
=== Nomination ===
On July 31, 2014, President [[Barack Obama]] nominated Mehta to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, to the seat vacated by Judge [[Ellen Segal Huvelle]], who took [[senior status]] on June 3, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://don411.com/the-white-house-nominations-sent-to-the-senate-allison-dale-burroughs-amit-priyavadan-mehta/#.U9sh6mPG_sV|title=THE WHITE HOUSE NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Allison Dale Burroughs, Amit Priyavadan Mehta|author=Don|work=Don411.com Media :: Performing Arts News Unabridged|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref> He received a hearing before the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary]] on September 17, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/judicial-nominations-2014-09-17|title=Meeting – Hearings & Meetings – United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|date=17 September 2014|publisher=|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref> On November 20, 2014, his nomination was reported out of committee by [[voice vote]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Results%20of%20Executive%20Business%20Meeting%2011-20-14.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – November 20, 2014 United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|publisher=}}</ref> On December 13, 2014, Senate Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] filed a motion to invoke [[cloture]] on the nomination.

On December 16, 2014, Reid withdrew his cloture motion on Mehta's nomination, and the Senate proceeded to vote to confirm Mehta in a [[voice vote]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/113th-congress/1942|title=PN1942 — Amit Priyavadan Mehta — The Judiciary|date=16 December 2014|publisher=Congress.gov|access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref> He received his federal judicial commission on December 19, 2014.<ref name="fjc.gov" />

=== Tenure ===
{{update|date=December 2022}}
[[File:JudgeMehta102715 crop.jpg|thumb|Judge Mehta in 2015]]

In May 2019, Mehta ruled that accounting firm [[Mazars]] had to provide its records of [[Donald Trump]]'s accounts from before his presidency to the [[House Oversight Committee]] in response to their subpoena.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/20/politics/mazars-trump-records/index.html|title=Judge orders Trump accounting firm to hand over records to Congress|first=Katelyn|last=Polantz|website=[[CNN]]|date=May 20, 2019}}</ref> In a 41-page opinion, he asserted that Congress has the right to investigate potential illegal behavior by a president, including actions both before and after the president assumed office.<ref name = upholds>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/20/judge-upholds-dem-subpoena-for-trump-financial-records-1335370|title=Judge upholds Dem subpoena for Trump financial records|last1=Desiderio|first1=Andrew|last2=Cheney|first2=Kyle|date=May 20, 2019|work=[[Politico]]|access-date=21 May 2019}}</ref> The ruling will be appealed by Trump's personal legal team.<ref name = upholds/>

In July 2019, Mehta sided with the pharmaceutical firms [[Merck & Co.]], [[Eli Lilly and Company]], and [[Amgen Inc.]] by blocking a [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] rule requiring drugmakers to put prices in television ads, a central part of the president's push to lower the cost of prescription medications. The goal of the rule was to increase transparency; Mehta ruled that requiring big pharmaceutical companies to disclose prices to consumers in television advertisements was something that could be done only by the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|Department of Health and Human Services]] if mandated by Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://freepdfhosting.com/9f12cc13ab.pdf|title=MERCK & CO., INC., et al., vs US Dept. HHS|last=Mehta|first=Amit|date=July 8, 2019|website=freepdfhosting.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-09}}</ref>

In 2020, Mehta became the presiding judge in the [[United States v. Google LLC (2020)|''United States v. Google LLC'']] antitrust case.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Arbel |first=Tali |date=2021-04-21 |title=Meet Amit Mehta, the judge for Google's antitrust case |url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-district-of-columbia-hip-hop-and-rap-lawsuits-music-dfdd86ca91930cda6ab138cd1393a88e |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> On June 1, 2021, Chief Justice [[John Roberts]] appointed Mehta to the [[United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]].<ref>{{cite web |title=FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE COURT FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE COURT OF REVIEW Current and Past Members June 2021 |url=https://www.fisc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/FISC%20FISCR%20Judges%20June%202021.pdf |accessdate=August 31, 2021}}</ref>

==== January 6 Capitol attack-related cases ====
Mehta has presided over several cases related to the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]]. He has charge of the criminal prosecution of [[Oath Keepers]] founder [[Stewart Rhodes]] for [[seditious conspiracy]].<ref name=":3">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/18/stewart-rhodes-jail-seditious-conspiracy/|title=Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes ordered to be jailed until trial on seditious conspiracy|last=Hsu|first=Spencer S.|date=February 18, 2022|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref> He is also presiding over three civil lawsuits against Trump and multiple associates, in which several members of Congress and two police officers are suing for damages for physical and emotional injuries they allegedly incurred during the attacks.

On February 18, 2022, Mehta issued a lengthy opinion that rejected [[Donald Trump|Trump]]'s claim of "absolute [[Legal immunity|immunity]]" from lawsuits, finding that his actions were not part of his presidential duties, and that there was plausible evidence to suggest he engaged in a [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] with organized groups to use any means, including violence, to [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|overturn the results]] of the [[U.S. presidential election, 2020|2020 election]]. The opinion allows the case to proceed, with the plaintiffs demanding documents, depositions, and other evidence from Trump and members of the Oath Keepers and [[Proud Boys]]. Mehta dropped several other co-defendants from the suit, including [[Rudy Giuliani]], [[Donald Trump Jr.]], and Representative [[Mo Brooks]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/18/jan6-trump-lawsuit/|title=U.S. judge rejects Trump claim of 'absolute immunity' from Jan. 6 lawsuits|last=Hsu|first=Spencer S.|date=February 18, 2022|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

On January 25, 2024, Mehta sentenced former Trump adviser, [[Peter Navarro]], to four months in jail for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena related to the congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/politics/peter-navarro-contempt-congress-sentence/index.html/|title=Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months in jail for defying congressional subpoena|last1=Cole|first1=Devan|last2=Lybrand|first2=Holmes|date=25 January 2024|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref>

===Google antitrust case===
{{Main|United States v. Google LLC (2020)}}
On August 5, 2024, Mehta ruled that [[Google]] is a monopoly and has violated antitrust laws.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Feiner |first1=Lauren |title=Judge rules that Google 'is a monopolist' in US antitrust case |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/5/24155520/judge-rules-on-us-doj-v-google-antitrust-search-suit |website=The Verge |date=5 August 2024 }}</ref> In September 2025, he ruled that Google would not be required to divest of [[Google Chrome|Chrome]] or [[Android (operating system)|Android]], but would be barred from including [[Google Search|Search]] in exclusive contracts and required to share certain [[Search engine indexing|search index]] and user interaction data with competitors.<ref>{{cite news|last=Elias|first=Jennifer|date=September 2, 2025|title=Google stock jumps 8% after search giant avoids worst-case penalties in antitrust case|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/02/google-antitrust-search-ruling.html|access-date=September 2, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Liedtke|first=Michael|date=September 2, 2025|title=Google avoids breakup in search monopoly case, but judge orders other changes in landmark ruling|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/google-search-antitrust-remedies-chrome-846916fda0943c5fa359385044a02c8b|access-date=September 2, 2025}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Mehta is as an avid fan of [[hip hop music]].<ref name=":0" /> In a 2015 [[Copyright law of the United States|copyright case]] regarding the similarity of two songs, Mehta noted in a footnote that he was "not a 'lay person' when it comes to hip-hop music and lyrics," and noted he has "listened to hip hop for decades". American rappers [[Jay-Z]], [[Eminem]], [[Kanye West]] and Canadian rapper [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] are among his favorite artists.<ref name=":1" />

==See also==
*[[List of Asian American jurists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{FJC Bio|nid=1394756}}
*{{Ballotpedia|Amit_Priyavadan_Mehta}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ellen Segal Huvelle]]}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia]]}}|years=2014–present}}
{{s-inc|rows=2}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[James Boasberg]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Judge of the [[United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]]|years=2021–present}}
{{s-end}}

{{United States DC Circuit district judges}}
{{FISA Court}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Amit Priyavadan}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American jurists of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Georgetown University alumni]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:People from Reistertown, Maryland]]
[[Category:People from Patan district]]
[[Category:Public defenders]]
[[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama]]
[[Category:University of Virginia School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Virginia lawyers]]
[[Category:American people of Gujarati descent]]

Amit Mehta - Revision history

EthanMarko2 at 00:50, 8 May 2026