Final answer:
The courts found that the Sherman Antitrust Act had been violated in the Wilk Antitrust lawsuit, recognizing the act's continuing role in protecting free trade and preventing monopolistic business practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Wilk Antitrust lawsuit, the courts decided in favor of the plaintiffs and found that the Sherman Antitrust Act had been violated. Passed in 1890 as the first federal act to curtail the power of large monopolistic corporations, the Sherman Antitrust Act empowered the government to break up companies that engaged in anti-competitive practices, such as forming trusts that restrained free trade. This act underpins the country's antitrust policy and has been used to dismantle powerful monopolies, promote competition, and protect consumers from abusive business practices.