Trump Administration Appeals Ruling That Blocked Pentagon Action Against Anthropic

Donald Trump’s social media directive ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic and its chatbot Claude was also blocked.

Associated Press

Apr 2, 2026 — 2 min read

Photo of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on March 31, 2026, by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 2026 (AP) — The Trump administration is appealing a judge's order blocking the federal government from taking punitive measures against artificial intelligence company Anthropic after a dispute with the Pentagon over military use of AI.

Department of Justice attorneys filed a notice in San Francisco federal court on Thursday of their intention to appeal last week's ruling by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which will review Lin's order, set an April 30 deadline for the Justice Department to file documents outlining their reasons why the decision should be overturned.

Lin last week said she was blocking the Pentagon from labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk. She also said she was blocking enforcement of President Donald Trump’s social media directive ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic and its chatbot Claude.