Anthropic remains on the Pentagon’s supply chain risk list, its top research and engineering official insisted this week, days after a federal judge ruled the blacklisting unlawful. Emil Michael, who holds that research and engineering post, made the announcement himself.
The designation stands, Michael wrote, for the Department of War and the defense industrial base alike. His message came one day after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Axios that “we trust Anthropic” and that the lab is “back on the right side,” a public sign that the administration is not aligned on one of the world’s leading AI companies.
Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California granted summary judgment to Anthropic on August 27. Her 59-page order found the government’s actions were unlawful retaliation that breached the First Amendment, denied due process, and ran afoul of the governing statute, and she called the administrative record behind the move “slim.”
The court said the measures looked designed to make a public example of Anthropic for its criticism of the government. Michael’s post made no reference to the ruling, and the department has not said whether it will appeal.
