Judge says Trump admin lacks evidence to label Anthropic

A federal judge has sharply questioned the Trump administration's justification for labeling artificial intelligence company Anthropic a national security risk, stating the government has failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its ban on federal use of the company's technology. During a hearing on Thursday, July 30, 2026, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco said the government's case appeared to have weakened and raised serious concerns that the designation was retaliatory.

The legal dispute originated from contract negotiations between Anthropic and the Department of Defense that stalled earlier this year. Anthropic, the creator of the Claude AI models, refused to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance of American citizens or for targeting and firing decisions involving lethal autonomous weapons, arguing the systems were not mature enough for such applications. The Pentagon countered that a private company should not dictate how the military uses lawfully acquired technology.

In response, the administration designated Anthropic a supply chain risk, a move that would effectively ban federal agencies from using its products. President Donald...