Federal judge sides with Anthropic in first round of standoff with Pentagon

Anthropic has argued: ‘The constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech.’ Photograph: Patrick Sison/AP

A federal judge in California sided with Anthropic in its case against the Department of Defense on Thursday, ordering a temporary pause on the government’s punitive measures against the artificial intelligence firm.

Judge Rita Lin granted Anthropic’s request for a temporary injunction while the northern district court of California hears the company’s case. Anthropic argued that the Department of Defense and Donald Trump violated its first amendment rights in declaring the company a supply chain risk and ordering government agencies to cease using its technology.