{"id":2650913,"date":"2026-08-28T03:54:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T07:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-rules-that-war-departments-designation-of-anthropic-as-a-national-security-risk-was-illegal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T04:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T08:00:46","slug":"federal-judge-rules-that-war-departments-designation-of-anthropic-as-a-national-security-risk-was-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-rules-that-war-departments-designation-of-anthropic-as-a-national-security-risk-was-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal judge rules that War Department&#8217;s designation of Anthropic as a national security risk was illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judge-rules-that-war-departments-designation-of-anthropic-as-a-national-security-risk-was-illegal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2650913&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A U.S. District Court judge has ruled in favor of Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, in its legal dispute with the Department of War. The court found that the War Department\u2019s designation of Anthropic as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-dept-spox-largest-threat-to-u-s-national-security-are-u-s-cops\/\" title=\"State Dept Spox: \u2018Largest Threat to U.S. ... are U.S. Cops\u2019\">national security threat<\/a> and the related supply chain restrictions were unlawful,arbitrary,and retaliation for the company&#8217;s criticism. The judge ordered the designation to be vacated, ruling that the department&#8217;s actions violated Anthropic\u2019s First Amendment rights and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The court also highlighted inconsistencies in the government\u2019s actions, noting that the War Department claimed national security concerns while still engaging with Anthropic on new AI projects. The ruling emphasized that the broad measures taken against Anthropic lacked legal justification and were based on retaliatory motives rather than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-country-cannot-afford-a-weak-supreme-court-decision-on-internet-censorship\/\" title=\"It is crucial for our nation to avoid a Supreme ... ru...g on internet censorship that lacks strength\">genuine security concerns<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A district court judge <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515.251.0_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">ruled<\/a> on Thursday on the ongoing legal battle between Anthropic,\u00a0 an artificial intelligence safety and research company, and the Department of War. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court ruled in favor of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/anthropic\/\">Anthropic<\/a> and against the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\">War Department<\/a>, following the company\u2019s March lawsuit objecting to the War Department\u2019s supply chain designation for Anthropic and categorizing it as a national security risk. The designation prohibited Anthropic from working with the United States government and restricted companies that worked with the U.S. military from working with Anthropic.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4703839\/federal-judge-rules-designation-of-anthropic-national-security-risk-illegal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Federal judge rules that War Department\u2019s designation of Anthropic as a national security risk was illegal<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4702726\/tropical-storm-dolly-parton-death-coincidence\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Tropical Storm Dolly not named after country star: \u2018Purely coincidental\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4701407\/ted-cruz-fcc-jd-vance-2028-republican-strategists-tucker-carlson\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ted Cruz fires 2028 warning shot against JD Vance, but his lane is uncertain<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor the reasons set forth in the accompanying Opinion (Dkt. No. 250), it is hereby ORDERED that Anthropic\u2019s motion for summary judgment is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART and Defendants\u2019 motion for summary judgment is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART as follows,\u201d read the official court documents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judge Rita Lin of the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California ruled that the War Department\u2019s actions <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515.251.0_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">violated<\/a> Anthropic\u2019s First Amendment rights and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Regarding the First Amendment violations, the court ruled that the War Department\u2019s actions were illegal because they were \u201cunlawful retaliation against Anthropic for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >constitutionally protected expressive activities<\/a>.\u201d Pertaining to the Fifth Amendment violations, the Lin ruled that the War Department deprived \u201cAnthropic of constitutionally protected liberty interests without sufficient pre-deprivation notice or opportunity to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, Lin <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515.251.0_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">ruled<\/a> that the \u201cSupply Chain Designation\u201d that Anthropic objected to was \u201carbitrary, capricious, and in excess of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations\u201d under a federal law statute and without \u201cobservance of procedure required by law.\u201d Moreover, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth\u2019s directive, which prohibited contractors, partners, suppliers, or any company that \u201cdoes business with the United States military\u201d from collaborating with Anthropic, was ruled illegal and ordered \u201cvacated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lin ordered the Supply Chain Designation to be vacated in her ruling and declared that the actions taken by the War Department and other agencies in the Trump administration were done so \u201cwithout authorization by law.\u201d They were also ordered vacated. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court largely objected to the War Department\u2019s reasoning for giving Anthropic the designation, claiming it was done as a form of retaliation rather than a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-department-ends-initiative-aimed-at-chinese-espionage-over-concerns-of-racism\/\" title=\"Justice ... Ends Initiative Aimed at Chinese Espionage over Concerns of Racism\">genuine national security concern<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe government is certainly owed deference on weighty issues of national security,\u201d said Lin. \u201cBut Defendants\u2019 contemporaneous words and deeds confirm that the challenged actions were based on a desire to make a public example out of Anthropic for its \u201carrogance\u201d in criticizing the government, not based on any articulable basis to believe that Anthropic would actually sabotage its model.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lin noted the Trump administration\u2019s inconsistencies in collaborating with Anthropic. She highlighted that they sought to designate Anthropic a national security threat but were still working to collaborate with the company on its most recent artificial intelligence product, Mythos.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702809\/us-opposes-9-11-attackers-supreme-court-bid-to-avoid-death-penalty\/\">US OPPOSES 9\/11 ATTACKERS\u2019 SUPREME COURT BID TO AVOID DEATH PENALTY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven now, the government is discussing collaboration with Anthropic on its new model, Mythos, in an array of sensitive contexts,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515\/gov.uscourts.cand.465515.250.0_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Lin. \u201cNone of that is consistent with a genuine fear that Anthropic is a saboteur who would poison its software to harm national security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe undisputed record shows that the challenged actions constituted unlawful retaliation in violation of the First Amendment, and that Anthropic was denied the pre-deprivation process required under the Fifth Amendment,\u201d said Lin. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThough the Department of War is undisputedly free to select the AI vendor of its choice, the evidence demonstrates that the broad measures imposed on Anthropic were illegal and baseless,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Court rules against War Dept. in Anthropic case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2650914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-yep51vqra-1787902029844-e1787902070908.jpg?1787887666&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62774,33791,62768],"class_list":["post-2650913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-anthropic","tag-federal-judge","tag-war-department"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-yep51vqra-1787902029844-e1787902070908.jpg?1787887666&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650913"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650917,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650913\/revisions\/2650917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}