In San Francisco, the United States Department of Justice on Thursday filed a notice of appeal challenging a federal judge’s order that blocked punitive actions against artificial intelligence company Anthropic following a dispute with the Pentagon over military use of its technology. The appeal seeks to overturn a ruling issued last week by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin.
Judge Lin ruled that the Pentagon could not label Anthropic a supply chain risk or enforce a directive issued by Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to stop using the company’s chatbot, Claude. She said the measures taken by the administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared arbitrary and could significantly harm the company. Lin also questioned the use of a military authority typically applied to foreign adversaries.
The Pentagon criticized the ruling. Defense Undersecretary Emil Michael said the decision could interfere with military operations and limit the department’s ability to choose its technology partners.
Lin temporarily paused her order for one week to allow the government to file an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She stated that her ruling does not require the Pentagon to use Anthropic’s products or prevent it from switching to other providers.
The dispute stems from actions announced on Feb. 27, when Trump and Hegseth moved to restrict Anthropic after contract negotiations broke down. The company sought to limit the use of its AI systems in fully autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance, while the Pentagon maintained it should be able to use the technology in any lawful manner.
Anthropic has also filed a separate case in a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., involving a different rule used by the Pentagon to classify the company as a supply chain risk. Third parties, including Microsoft, industry groups, technology workers, retired military officials, and religious organizations, have submitted legal briefs supporting the company’s position.
