The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division has announced that it is resuming a more targeted Hart-Scott-Rodino merger review process, an important procedural shift for companies navigating premerger notification in 2026. Although this is not a court filing or enforcement complaint, it is still a meaningful legal development: it tells dealmakers and their counsel how one of the government’s primary antitrust enforcers intends to allocate resources and frame early-stage merger scrutiny.

At a practical level, a “targeted” review approach suggests the Division is moving away from a broader, more expansive initial review posture and returning to a process more closely tailored to transactions that present identifiable competitive risks.

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has resumed a targeted Hart-Scott-Rodino review process, an important signal that federal merger scrutiny remains active and potentially more exacting for certain transactions. While this development is not tied to a single headline-grabbing court fight, it matters because the HSR process is the front door to U.S. merger enforcement: changes in how the government screens deals can directly affect closing timelines, regulatory strategy, and overall transaction risk.

The announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division suggests that parties should expect renewed attention to selected reportable deals during the premerger review stage.

The Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ’s Antitrust Division have launched a joint public inquiry into the effectiveness of the Premerger Notification and Report Form, a notable step that signals possible changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino merger filing process. Although this is not a challenge to any one transaction, it is the kind of regulatory move that can reshape day-to-day antitrust practice long before the next headline merger fight reaches court.

At a high level, the agencies are asking whether the current form gives them the information they need to evaluate deals efficiently and accurately.