A federal judge has blocked efforts by Trump administration officials to blacklist AI company Anthropic, ruling that the Department of War lacked authority to take such action. US District Judge Rita Lin granted Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction, finding that officials appeared to be retaliating against the company for publicly criticizing government contracting positions.

Lin's order stated that Department of War officials seemingly had no legal authority to designate Anthropic as a supply-chain risk without considering less restrictive alternatives or providing evidence of an urgent national security threat. The judge noted that the agency's own records showed the designation came after Anthropic's "hostile manner through the press