On June 14, 2016, an Illinois federal judge ruled that the FTC cannot prevent Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University Health System from finalizing their merger. The judge found that the FTC had not provided sufficient evidence that the merger would harm healthcare competition in the Chicago area, and took particular exception to the government’s market definition. The FTC filed suit in 2015 to prevent the deal from moving forward, arguing that the merged entity would control six out of the 11 hospitals in Chicago’s North Shore area and thus increase healthcare costs. The hospitals argued that the merger would instead cut costs for patients. One day after the District Court’s decision was announced, the FTC filed an appeal with the Seventh Circuit.