A statement issued on the court's web site states that District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly will release the decision at approximately 4.30pm EST today (9.30pm GMT), after the country's financial markets close.
The judge must decide whether the settlement is in the public interest, how it will affect competition and how long it should remain in force. She will also announce whether she endorses additional sanctions against Microsoft which are sought by nine other US states' Attorneys General and Microsoft rivals AOL Time Warner, Palm and Sun Microsystems.
If Judge Kollar-Kotelly rejects the settlement, the US Justice Department and Microsoft will have the right to appeal the ruling.
The proposed settlement would stop Microsoft from participating in exclusive deals that could harm competition. It also obliges the company to allow software manufacturers and consumers to remove some Microsoft features.
Finally, it requires Microsoft to release source code for the Windows operating system, so that competitors will be able to create compatible software.
The decision will be made available later today at:
www.dcd.uscourts.gov