Judge blocks Pentagon's Anthropic blacklist

Judge blocks Pentagon blacklist of Anthropic AI

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15 hours ago - Technology

Judge blocks Pentagon's Anthropic blacklist

* Mackenzie Weinger

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!Photo illustration of the Pentagon building with a giant cursor emerging from in the center.

*Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images*

A federal judge on Thursday struck down the Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, ruling that the government's actions violated Anthropic's constitutional rights.

**Why it matters:** The ruling marks a major legal victory for Anthropic in its months-long fight with the Trump administration over how the military can use its AI models.

**Driving the news:** U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ruled that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk was unlawful.

* "The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics," Lin wrote in her 59-page decision.
* "Though the Department of War is undisputedly free to select the AI vendor of its choice, the evidence demonstrates that the broad measures imposed on Anthropic were illegal and baseless."
* Lin noted that the Pentagon continued pursuing work with Anthropic even after the designation: "None of that is consistent with a genuine fear that Anthropic is a saboteur who would poison its software to harm national security."

**What they're saying:** "We welcome the court's ruling that this supply chain risk designation was unlawful," an Anthropic spokesperson said in a statement.

* "We remain focused on working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology."

**Catch up quick:** The dispute kicked off earlier this year after Anthropic and the Pentagon clashed over the military's use of the company's AI models.

* The Defense Department sought to use Claude for "all lawful purposes," even in the most sensitive military and intelligence applications.
* Anthropic insisted that two areas remain off-limits: mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons.
* The standoff escalated, with the Pentagon designating Anthropic a national security and supply-chain risk, leading the AI company to sue.

**What's next:** The government is expected to appeal the ruling.

* Anthropic is also fighting a separate Pentagon designation under a different statute in the D.C. Circuit.

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