A federal judge has ruled in favor of Anthropic in its complex legal dispute with the Trump administration, granting the technology company an injunction against a recent government order that classified it as a "supply chain risk," according to the Wall Street Journal. On Thursday, Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California directed the administration to withdraw its recent designation of Anthropic as a security risk and to halt its directive for federal agencies to sever connections with the company.

During court proceedings, Lin was quoted stating, "It looks like an attempt to cripple Anthropic." In her ruling, she concluded that the government's orders had violated free speech protections afforded to the company.

The conflict between the Pentagon and Anthropic intensified last month following a disagreement over guidelines for the government's use of the AI firm's software. Anthropic had reportedly attempted to impose specific restrictions on how its AI models could be employed, including prohibitions on their use in autonomous weapons systems or mass surveillance. The government rejected these limitations, ultimately assigning the company a supply chain risk designation—a label usually applied to foreign entities. President Trump subsequently ordered federal agencies to terminate their relationships with Anthropic.

Shortly after, Anthropic filed a lawsuit against the agency and Hegseth. In recent weeks, the White House has repeatedly criticized the company, describing it as "a radical-left, woke company" that endangers America's national security. Meanwhile, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has characterized the Defense Department's actions as "retaliatory and punitive."