Trump administration argues the Pentagon’s blacklisting of Anthropic was lawful in a court filing opposing the company’s lawsuit

The Trump administration filed a court brief defending the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a national security supply chain risk, arguing the AI company is unlikely to prevail on its First Amendment claims. The Justice Department argued the dispute stems from contract negotiations and national security concerns, not retaliation, asserting that Anthropic's refusal to lift restrictions on autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance use was conduct, not protected speech. Anthropic's executives say the blacklisting could cause billions of dollars in losses this year, and the company is now challenging the Pentagon's designation in two separate lawsuits, one in California federal court and one in a Washington, D.C. appeals court.