Last week, a federal judge rejected the government’s attempt to block the merger between AT&T and Time Warner. That shouldn’t come as a major shock — the government was pursuing an expensive antitrust witch hunt with a paper-thin legal case. Indeed, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon stated in his opinion that it’s hard to demonstrate consumer harm when “the Government’s own expert predicts that, due to a standard benefit of vertical integration, AT&T’s DirecTV and Uverse customers will pay a total of about $350 million less per year for their video distribution services.”

The merger was finalized soon after the ruling, which is good news for those who believe in the free market and minimal government intervention in the economy. The federal government has an important but limited role in antitrust review. Too often, antitrust investigations have been guided by politics and overzealousness rather than legitimate concerns for consumer well-being. Last week’s decision provides reason for optimism for future mergers and acquisitions.