Judge blocks Pentagon's designation of AI firm Anthropic as national security risk
A federal judge ruled the Department of Defense illegally blacklisted Anthropic, citing First Amendment concerns and overreach of authority.
A U.S. district judge issued a 59-page order on Thursday overturning the Pentagon’s decision to label AI developer Anthropic a supply-chain risk to national security. The ruling says the Defense Department exceeded its authority by punishing the company for publicly criticizing the military’s use of artificial intelligence in surveillance and autonomous weapons.
Judge Rita Lin wrote that “the empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics,” and described the government’s stance as “really troubling” and potentially at odds with First Amendment protections. The decision comes after Anthropic sued, alleging that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s designation barred the firm from military contracts after it refused to let its Claude models be used for domestic surveillance or weaponry.
Anthropic said the ban could cost it billions and asserted that AI models are not yet reliable enough for autonomous weapons. The company welcomed the court’s order, stating it remains “focused on working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology.”
The Pentagon has not immediately responded, but officials are expected to appeal the ruling. The case marks the first public use of a little-known procurement statute to label a U.S. firm a supply-chain risk for alleged foreign sabotage concerns.