Appeals Court Rejects Anthropic's Request to Block Pentagon Blacklisting
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., refused to issue an injunction blocking the Pentagon from blacklisting AI laboratory Anthropic, marking a setback for the company in its legal battle against the Trump administration. This decision contrasts with a separate ruling by a San Francisco judge who previously ordered the removal of labels designating Anthropic as a national security risk. The appeals court acknowledged that Anthropic might suffer irreparable harm but cited unclear financial damages and ongoing evidence collection as reasons to deny the immediate order. Anthropic filed lawsuits alleging unlawful retaliation due to its efforts to limit autonomous weapon deployment and surveillance concerns. While the San Francisco case cleared the way for government use of Claude chatbots, the conflicting rulings have created business uncertainty. A hearing to present further evidence is scheduled for May 19.
Wire timeline
Appeals Court Rejects Anthropic's Request to Block Pentagon Blacklisting
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., refused to issue an injunction blocking the Pentagon from blacklisting AI laboratory Anthropic, marking a setback for the company in its legal battle against the Trump administration. This decision contrasts with a separate ruling by a San Francisco judge who previously ordered the removal of labels designating Anthropic as a national security risk. The appeals court acknowledged that Anthropic might suffer irreparable harm but cited unclear financial damages and ongoing evidence collection as reasons to deny the immediate order. Anthropic filed lawsuits alleging unlawful retaliation due to its efforts to limit autonomous weapon deployment and surveillance concerns. While the San Francisco case cleared the way for government use of Claude chatbots, the conflicting rulings have created business uncertainty. A hearing to present further evidence is scheduled for May 19.
AP News