Anthropic Challenges Pentagon Supply Chain Risk Designation in Federal Court Hearing

US District Judge Rita Lin heard arguments Tuesday in San Francisco on Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction to halt the Pentagon's designation of the company as a national security supply chain risk. Anthropic argued the March 3 designation by Defense Secretary Hegseth was 'unprecedented and unlawful,' constituting retaliation for the company's refusal to remove AI safety guardrails preventing fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. The government countered the dispute stems from contract negotiations and national security concerns. Judge Lin questioned discrepancies between Hegseth's official directive and his social media statements. This is the first time a US company has been publicly designated a supply chain risk under the government procurement statute. No ruling timeline was announced.