US judge blocks Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic, calling it 'illegal and baseless'

Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic was unlawful, US judge rules

A federal judge ruled that the Pentagon's designation of AI company Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk was unlawful, marking a significant legal setback for the military's efforts to restrict the use of Claude AI models in sensitive operations. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin, found the decision 'illegal and baseless' and criticized the 'empty invocation of national security' as a means to punish government critics. The case stems from Anthropic's refusal to allow its AI to be used in autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance, leading to a blacklisting that the company said could cost billions in lost business.