Federal Judge Rules Pentagon's Anthropic Blacklist Violates First Amendment
A federal judge in California rules that the Trump administration's designation of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk is illegal. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin finds that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's labeling of the Claude maker as a national security threat constitutes unlawful retaliation in violation of the First Amendment, calling the decision arbitrary and capricious. She also determines that Anthropic is denied due process as required under the Fifth Amendment.
The dispute begins earlier this year when Hegseth and President Donald Trump label Anthropic a supply-chain risk and order all federal agencies to stop working with the AI company. The conflict stems from Anthropic setting hard lines on safety guardrails around fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of American citizens. The Pentagon denies any unlawful intended use and argues Anthropic is trying to control the military's use of models it buys and pays for.
Lin points to contradictions in the government's own conduct, including Hegseth's proposal to apply the Defense Production Act to Anthropic, which would imply the company is essential rather than a threat to national security. She notes the government continues pursuing contracts with the company and collaborating with its new model, Mythos, for cybersecurity. National security, she writes, is not a blank check to punish government critics. Anthropic welcomes the ruling and says it remains focused on working productively with the government to harness AI for national security.