Federal Judge Says Pentagon's Anthropic Ban 'Looks Like Attempt to Cripple' the Company; Ruling Expected Within Days

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin told the government during Tuesday's preliminary injunction hearing that the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk 'looks like an attempt to cripple' the company. Lin expressed concern that Anthropic was being 'punished' for refusing to allow fully autonomous lethal weapons and mass domestic surveillance, calling the government's conduct 'troubling' and noting the actions 'don't really seem to be tailored to the stated national security concern.' The judge questioned why the Pentagon could not simply stop using Claude if genuinely concerned, rather than designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk, a classification typically reserved for foreign adversaries. The supply chain risk designation is the first time it has been applied to a domestic US company. Judge Lin indicated she would issue a decision within several days. The ruling directly affects Maven's 8,000+ Iran targeting actions that currently use Anthropic's Claude AI.