'Orwellian Notion': Federal workers can access Claude AI again after judge ditches Trump's Anthropic ban

Date:
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:35:00 +0000

Description:
Federal workers regain Claude access after a judge blocked the Trump administrations unprecedented decision to label Anthropic a supply chain threat.

FULL STORY
Federal employees can
now log back into Anthropics Claude for Government service after a California federal judge blocked the Trump administration from designating the AI
company as a supply chain risk.

US District Judge Rita Lin issued a preliminary injunction, granting
Anthropics motion to prevent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the administration from declaring the company a threat. Federal workers at
agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services received emails informing them that access to Claude has been restored, along with any
previous conversation history and data.

Cause of the dispute -- The conflict erupted in early 2026 after
Anthropic refused to allow its Claude AI model to be used for developing
lethal autonomous weapons or for mass surveillance of the US population.

The company stepped away from partnership discussions with the US military
over these concerns, which included fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance capabilities.

In response, the Trump administration designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk , a move that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei described as legally unsound.

This decision by the Trump administration did not stop millions of users from signing up for Claude daily.

The US government has never applied this designation to a domestic company,
as it is typically directed at foreign intelligence agencies, terrorists, and other hostile actors.

Judge Lin used striking language in her 43-page order granting the
preliminary injunction.

"Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the US for expressing disagreement with the government," Lin wrote.

She labeled the administrations actions as classic First Amendment
retaliation.

Lin noted that the designation has never been applied to a domestic company
and is directed principally at foreign intelligence agencies, terrorists, and other hostile actors.

The Department of Defense, which the Trump administration has dubbed the Department of War, has appealed Lins order to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The administration did not ask the appellate court to stay the district court injunction, allowing it to go into effect.

Anthropic is also asking the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to issue
an emergency stay of the Defense Departments supply chain designation.

The company argues that the administration violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution.

This preliminary injunction allows federal workers to access Claude again,
but the legal fight is far from over.

Via MLex

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/orwellian-notion-federal-workers-can-access-clau de-ai-after-judge-ditches-trumps-anthropic-ban

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