Judge doubts Trump admin's evidence for Anthropic supply-chain ban

During a Thursday court hearing, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin pressed the Trump administration over its decision to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk and bar federal agencies from using the company's AI. The case stems from failed contract negotiations between Anthropic and the Department of Defense. Anthropic refused to allow its models to power mass surveillance of Americans or to make targeting and firing decisions involving lethal weapons, arguing the technology wasn't mature enough for such high-stakes use. The Pentagon pushed back, insisting a private company shouldn't dictate military operations and that it would use the tools in lawful ways.

Judge Lin zeroed in on the government's more aggressive claims. The DOD argued that Anthropic's public criticism of the military justified the ban, a position Lin called 'really troubling' because it could set a precedent for retaliating against contractors who disagree with the administration. The government also claimed Anthropic could potentially disable or alter its AI models during wartime, but Lin said she saw no evidence of any 'kill switch' capability. She temporarily blocked the ban in March and is now deciding whether to make that injunction permanent. Anthropic filed two lawsuits against the DOD in March; this case is in California, with another pending in Washington.