US judge rules Pentagon blacklisting of Anthropic unlawful

SAN FRANCISCO - A US federal judge on Thursday struck down the Pentagon's blacklisting of artificial intelligence company Anthropic, ruling that the move violated the company's constitutional rights and federal law.

Judge Rita Lin of the US District Court in the Northern District of California said the government unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic after the company declined to allow the US military to use Claude for mass domestic surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous weapons.

Lin said Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth's move against the company violated the governing statutory framework and was "arbitrary and capricious."

She pointed to Hegseth's Feb 27 statement that Anthropic would be designated a supply-chain risk and that "no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic."

US President Donald Trump also ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology, giving agencies already using the company's tools six months to phase them out.

Anthropic challenged the measures in federal court in March. Lin issued a preliminary injunction later that month blocking enforcement of the measures while the litigation proceeded.