Federal judge blocks Pentagon blacklisting of Anthropic, calling it ‘illegal and baseless’

Lin found no adequate basis for treating Anthropic that way and concluded the government's own record tied the punishment to Anthropic's public criticism.

Rather than simply ending its Claude relationship, the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk, a category aimed at threats such as sabotage or system subversion.

Judge Rita Lin had already issued a preliminary injunction in March, stopping enforcement while Anthropic's challenge moved through court.

The new summary-judgment ruling goes further, finding First Amendment retaliation, inadequate 5th Amendment process, and violations of the governing statutory scheme.

The dispute began after Anthropic refused to authorize Claude for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous lethal warfare, while the Pentagon sought broader lawful use.