Attorneys for the federal government and those backing the merger of two Louisiana hospital systems have both asked a U.S. district court to end a monthslong dispute which hinges on whether the state approval process can pre-empt of federal antitrust laws.

“The State of Louisiana has determined that the acquisition serves the interest of the people of the State,” wrote Simpson Thacher & Bartlett attorneys Sara Y. Razi, Abram Ellis and Joshua Hazan in a new motion for summary judgment in their fight against Federal Trade Commission enforcement of a pre-merger disclosure law. “Enjoining integration would nullify that policy choice and severely impinge on the State’s COPA [Certificates of Public Advantage] program.”