Trump-era sanctions against Anthropic illegal, US judge rules
What's the story
A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's sanctions against AI giant Anthropic were illegal. The sanctions, imposed in February, were found to be a punishment for the company's public criticism of the Pentagon. Judge Rita Lin said in her 59-page decision that "The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics."
Ruling details
Judge makes temporary suspension of sanctions permanent
Judge Lin has barred federal agencies from enforcing President Trump's order to stop using Anthropic's tools, which include the Claude AI models.
She also overturned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's designation of the company as a "supply chain risk," a status usually reserved for foreign firms.
The ruling makes permanent the temporary suspension of sanctions ordered by Judge Lin in March and takes effect immediately.
Company position
Hegseth's decision blocked Anthropic from military contracts
Hegseth's decision came after Anthropic refused to permit the military to use its AI chatbot, Claude, for US surveillance or autonomous weapons.
The refusal resulted in blocking Anthropic from certain military contracts. This could potentially cost the company billions of dollars in lost business and reputational harm.
Trump had criticized the company for its refusal, calling it "a radical left, woke company" and "out-of-control."
Ongoing litigation
Lawsuit claimed government violated company's First Amendment right
In its lawsuit filed on March 9, Anthropic alleged that the government violated its First Amendment right by retaliating against its views on AI safety.
The company claimed it wasn't given a chance to dispute the designation, violating its Fifth Amendment right to due process.
The Justice Department countered that Anthropic's refusal to lift restrictions could cause uncertainty in how Claude could be used and risk disabling military systems during operations.