Judge: Trump admin lacks evidence for Anthropic supply-chain ban

The case stems from failed negotiations between Anthropic and the Department of Defense over a government contract for the company's AI technology. Anthropic stipulated that its AI should not be used for mass surveillance of Americans or for targeting or firing decisions in lethal-weapons systems, citing concerns about the technology's readiness. The Pentagon rejected these restrictions, arguing that a private company should not dictate how the military deploys purchased technologies and asserting that it would use the tools only in lawful ways.

In response to the impasse, the Trump administration designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk and banned federal agencies from using its technology. The government offered multiple justifications: that Anthropic had publicly criticized the DoD, and that the company could theoretically disable or alter its AI models during warfighting operations. During Thursday's hearing, Judge Rita Lin directly challenged both claims. She called the government's logic of penalizing public criticism "really troubling" and warned it could establish a precedent of retaliation against federal contractors who disagree with the administration. On the technical claim, Lin sided with experts, noting she had seen no evidence that Anthropic could alter a delivered model or activate some form of kill switch.

Anthropologic filed two lawsuits against the DoD in March challenging the ban and the supply-chain risk designation. One is being heard by Judge Lin in her jurisdiction; the other is proceeding in Washington. Lin temporarily blocked the ban in March and is now considering whether to make that order permanent. Her skepticism at Thursday's hearing suggests the judge may be moving toward a more durable ruling in the company's favor, though the outcome remains pending.