What federal statute makes it unlawful to monopolize a market?
Sherman Act Section 2 reaches single-firm conduct. It makes it unlawful to monopolize, attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire to monopolize any part of interstate or foreign trade or commerce.
The answer
The single-firm offense
15 U.S.C. § 2 declares it a felony for any person to monopolize, attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States or with foreign nations. Unlike Section 1, the core offense reaches conduct by a single firm that possesses monopoly power, without any need to prove an agreement.
Three distinct theories
The section states three separate offenses: completed monopolization, attempt to monopolize, and conspiracy to monopolize. Each carries its own elements, and the attempt and conspiracy theories do not require that the defendant already hold a monopoly.
The judged input
What the AI drafted
Submitted to the judgeThis is an excerpt from a draft monopolization advisory memo — the kind of work product a lawyer generates with a legal-AI drafting tool, then has to stand behind. Kingsfield does not write it; it rules on the citations the model put in it. This draft cites two authorities; one of them is wrong.
The judge ruled on every citation as the draft used it — it accepted 15 U.S.C. § 2 and rejected 15 U.S.C. § 1. Here is why.
The verdict
How Kingsfield ruled
Ruled 2026-06-23Each citation in the draft above was submitted to the Kingsfield judge and ruled against the primary-law corpus — Accept, Reject, or Inconclusive, per citation. These are live verdicts, not editorial. Each card shows the claim the draft made and the verbatim authority the verdict was rendered against.
The draft claimed: It is unlawful for any person to monopolize, attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States or with foreign nations.
“§ 2. Monopolizing trade a felony; penalty Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished”
Cite found; proposition supported by the cited text.
The draft claimed: Section 1 reaches single-firm monopolization by a company that possesses monopoly power, even where there is no agreement with any other party.
Cite found, but the cited text does not support the claim. 15 U.S.C. 1 prohibits a contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of trade and requires concerted action by two or more parties; single-firm monopolization is governed by 15 U.S.C. 2. Regenerate with the correct authority.
Run your own work through the judge
Kingsfield rules on every citation, quote, and proposition your AI produces, against the primary law we cover. Accept, Reject, or Inconclusive, per citation, with a signed Audit Capsule.
Connect the Judge See the architectureThis page is legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The draft shown is an illustration of a typical AI answer; verdicts reflect the cited authority in the Kingsfield corpus as of the ruling date shown above.