Federal judge rules trump administration's actions against Anthropic were illegal

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it labeled Anthropic's AI models as a 'supply chain risk' earlier this year. Judge Rita Lin stated that the invocation of national security was not a justification for retaliating against government critics. The ruling highlights the government's unlawful retaliation against Anthropic despite its engagement in constitutionally protected activities. Anthropic filed lawsuits in March amid tensions with the Department of War and President Donald Trump over potential government use of its AI models for surveillance or lethal weapons. Trump directed the blacklisting of Anthropic products, calling the company 'radical left, woke.' The company and the government later resumed negotiations, but Anthropic was forced to withdraw its latest models in June under export control directives. Civil society groups view the ruling as a victory for free speech, emphasizing that national security designations cannot be used to suppress dissent. Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy & Technology noted that procurement policies must not bypass constitutional protections.