Judge rules that the Pentagon's Anthropic ban was 'illegal and baseless'

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August 28, 2026, 4:43 AM

• •US District Judge Rita Lin ruled that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was illegal and baseless.
• •The decision bars certain federal agencies from enforcing President Trump's order to stop using Anthropic's tools.
• •The dispute began after the Defense Department reportedly pushed Anthropic to remove safeguards, while CEO Dario Amodei said the company would not support mass surveillance or autonomous weapons.
• •Anthropic has challenged two federal designations; this ruling resolves one, but the company still faces a second pending case.
• •Despite the ban, Anthropic's revenue reportedly reached $11.5 billion earlier this month ahead of a possible IPO later this year.

A federal judge ruled that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was illegal and baseless. Judge Rita Lin barred certain federal agencies from enforcing President Trump's order to stop using Anthropic's tools. The dispute followed pressure from the Defense Department to loosen safeguards, which Anthropic resisted over concerns about mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Anthropic won on one of its legal challenges, but it still faces a second pending case over another designation.

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