A Judge Has Blocked the Pentagon’s Attempt to Blacklist Anthropic
wired ·
A federal judge ruled that the Department of Defense's designation of AI company Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk was illegal, baseless, and an unconstitutional retaliation. The ruling vacated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's February decision to blacklist Anthropic and lifted related punitive measures that barred military contractors from working with the company. Judge Rita Lin also found that nine federal agencies improperly imposed sanctions on Anthropic and removed those penalties, though she affirmed the Pentagon is not required to use Anthropic's models. The dispute arose from a $200 million contract for Claude models, with Anthropic seeking limits on uses like lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance, while Hegseth rejected any restrictions. After negotiations failed, Hegseth designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, prompting the company to file lawsuits. Anthropic welcomed the ruling, while the Pentagon is expected to appeal. Lin noted that the government's ongoing collaboration with Anthropic on new models was inconsistent with claims that the company posed a genuine national security threat.
wired