A San Francisco artificial intelligence company is turning to federal court this week to challenge what it calls an unfair and damaging security designation from the Pentagon.
Anthropic appeared before U.S. District Judge Rita Lin on Tuesday, requesting immediate judicial intervention to reverse the Department of Defense’s classification of the company as a supply chain security threat. The court session represents a pivotal moment in an escalating dispute between the AI developer and the Trump administration regarding military applications of the company’s technology.
The legal action follows Anthropic’s lawsuit filed weeks ago challenging what the firm describes as an “unlawful campaign of retaliation” stemming from its decision to restrict military access to its artificial intelligence systems.
In their emergency petition, company attorneys are asking Judge Lin to issue an immediate injunction overturning the Pentagon’s security risk determination. The company also wants the court to block President Trump’s directive prohibiting all federal workers from accessing Claude, Anthropic’s AI chatbot platform.
The proceedings are taking place in San Francisco federal court, where the AI company maintains its corporate headquarters. Anthropic has simultaneously pursued a separate legal challenge through the federal appellate system in Washington, D.C.
Judge Lin has prepared specific questions for both parties to address during the hearing, particularly focusing on apparent inconsistencies between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s official statement labeling Anthropic as a national security concern and his subsequent social media posts on the matter.
