Jonathan Seth Kanter[1] (born July 30, 1973) is an American lawyer who served as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2021 to 2024, during the administration of President Joe Biden.

[2][3] As assistant attorney general, Kanter has worked with FTC chair Lina Khan on efforts to reform federal merger guidelines.

[7] According to Politico, Kanter's selection "came after the longest delay for a nominee to lead the office in modern history," following months of speculation surrounding his eventual nomination.

[14] His nomination was endorsed by nine former assistant attorneys general for the Antitrust Division, including Makan Delrahim, who served in the position under Donald Trump.

[18][19] As assistant attorney general, Kanter has collaborated with FTC Chair Lina Khan on efforts to reform federal merger guidelines.

[20] According to The National Law Journal, Kanter has largely chosen DOJ and other government officials for staffing positions at the Antitrust Division, which differs from his predecessors, who primarily chose former BigLaw attorneys for these roles.

[21] To assist the DOJ as it scrutinizes anti-competitive behavior in digital markets, Kanter has announced that the division will hire more data analysts and other technology experts.

[6] As assistant attorney general, Kanter presided over the DOJ's first-ever victory in a case over criminal enforcement of labor antitrust violations.

Legal analysts have noted that section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 forbids individuals from simultaneously holding director positions in companies in competition with each other, but that this law has largely been unenforced over the past century.

[38] According to a June 2022 report in The Daily Beast, the decision of whether to allow Kanter to participate in United States v. Google would fall on Vanita Gupta, associate attorney general.

[43] Kanter has been described as being associated with the anti-monopolistic New Brandeis movement alongside FTC chair Lina Khan and National Economic Council (NEC) advisor Tim Wu.