US Judge Rules Pentagon's Anthropic Ban Illegal and Baseless
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US District Judge Rita Lin ruled that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was illegal and baseless. The ruling bars certain federal agencies from enforcing President Trump's order to stop using Anthropic's Claude AI tools. Anthropic welcomed the decision, while the company remains a supply chain risk pending a second court ruling.
Key Facts
- US District Judge Rita Lin ruled that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was illegal and baseless.
- The ruling bars certain federal agencies from enforcing President Trump's order to stop using Anthropic's Claude AI tools.
- Anthropic's revenue surged to a record $11.5 billion earlier this month, 14 times more than the same quarter last year.
- Anthropic sued the White House in two federal courts to reverse the ban, and today's ruling is a victory on one of those counts.
The Court Ruling
US District Judge Rita Lin found that the US Department of Defense's restrictions on Anthropic and its Claude model were 'illegal and baseless.' Judge Lin barred certain federal agencies from enforcing President Trump's order to stop using Anthropic's tools. In a 59-page decision, Judge Lin stated that 'the empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics.' Anthropic spokesperson said the company welcomes the court's ruling that the supply chain risk designation was unlawful.
Dispute Background
The dispute arose in late February after the Department of Defense and Secretary Pete Hegseth pressured Anthropic to remove certain safeguards from its AI systems. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the company would refuse to allow its model to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons development. President Trump ordered all US government agencies to stop using Claude and other Anthropic services, with a six-month phase-out period. Anthropic became the first US company to be designated as a supply chain risk after subsequent talks collapsed.
Company Performance
The supply chain designation has not slowed Anthropic's march toward a likely near-record IPO later this year. Earlier this month, Anthropic's revenue surged to a record $11.5 billion, 14 times more than the same quarter last year. Anthropic is still considered a supply chain risk pending the second court decision.
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US Judge Rules Pentagon's Anthropic Ban Illegal and Baseless
