A US federal judge in San Francisco is questioning whether the government's ban on Anthropic is punitive. The company is challenging the US government's decision to blacklist it as a national security risk due to its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its Claude AI model.
At the hearing, District Judge Rita F. Lin stated, 'It looks like an attempt to cripple Anthropic,' expressing concern that the government might be punishing Anthropic for criticizing its position.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cut ties with Anthropic in February over its refusal to permit unrestricted use of Claude, including in lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. The government labeled Anthropic a 'supply chain risk to national security.'
Anthropic filed two lawsuits against the government on March 9, one for reconsideration of the supply chain risk and another alleging a violation of its First Amendment rights.
Judge Lin noted that while the Pentagon has the right to choose its AI products, she questioned the legality of banning agencies from using Anthropic. A government lawyer argued that the actions were not retaliatory and based on the potential misuse of Claude.
Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNet, commented that applying the supply chain risk designation to a domestic company is unusual and could have severe financial implications for Anthropic.
Judge Lin expects to rule soon on whether to temporarily pause the government's ban while the broader case is examined.