U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in the Northern District of California issued a sweeping decision Thursday that throws out the Trump administration’s designation of Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk to national security. The ruling, handed down after a hearing that lasted into the evening, called the label "unlawful retaliation" and deemed it both arbitrary and capricious.
Lin’s opinion cited violations of the First Amendment, stating that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s move to brand the Claude maker a threat was a direct response to the company’s public criticism of government policy. The judge also found that Anthropic was denied the procedural protections guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, meaning the agency failed to give the firm a fair hearing before imposing the restriction.
The dispute began earlier this year when Secretary Hegseth, at the behest of President Donald Trump, ordered all federal agencies – even those outside the Department of Defense – to cease contracts with Anthropic. The administration’s rationale hinged on the company’s insistence on hard safety guardrails that would limit the Pentagon’s ability to deploy its AI models in fully autonomous weapons systems or for mass surveillance of U.S. citizens. The Pentagon countered that its use of Anthropic’s technology would be strictly lawful and that the firm’s concerns were unfounded.
Judge Lin highlighted a stark inconsistency in the government’s approach. While the administration branded Anthropic a security threat, it simultaneously pursued a Defense Production Act proposal that would have classified the company as essential to national security. Moreover, the Department of Defense continued to negotiate a contract with Anthropic and collaborated on its newest model, Mythos, for cybersecurity purposes.
"The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics," Lin wrote, underscoring that the labeling appeared more punitive than protective. She also noted that Anthropic "undisputedly lacks" any backdoor access to its technology once transferred to the Department of Defense, refuting claims that the firm could control or sabotage military use of its models.
In a statement shared with TechCrunch, an Anthropic spokesperson praised the decision, saying, "We welcome the court’s ruling that this supply‑chain risk designation was unlawful. We remain focused on working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology." The company has filed two separate lawsuits against the Department of Defense, one in California and another in Washington, D.C.; the latter case remains pending.
The ruling marks the first judicial victory for Anthropic in its battle with the Pentagon and sets a precedent for how agencies may label private technology firms as security risks. Legal experts noted that the decision could curb future attempts by the executive branch to use national‑security language as a tool for silencing dissent.
TechCrunch reached out to the Department of Defense for comment but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Este artículo fue escrito con la asistencia de IA.
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