Anthropic gets its first court win over the Pentagon’s supply chain risk label
techcrunch ·
A federal judge in California ruled that the Trump administration's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was illegal. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's labeling was unlawful retaliation violating the First Amendment, and that the decision was arbitrary, capricious, and denied due process under the Fifth Amendment. The dispute began after Anthropic set safety guardrails restricting Pentagon use of its models for fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. The Pentagon denied any unlawful intent and accused Anthropic of trying to control military use. Judge Lin said the government's actions appeared designed to make a public example of Anthropic for criticizing the government. She also noted contradictions, such as the government proposing to treat Anthropic as essential to national security while continuing contract talks and collaborating on cybersecurity. Anthropic welcomed the ruling, while its separate lawsuit in Washington, D.C., remains ongoing.
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