Anthropic filed its second action in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals because the court is charged with reviewing protests to administrative decisions made by the secretary of defense.
“Anthropic petitions this Court for review because the Department of War’s actions are, among other things, a pretextual form of retaliation in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution,” Anthropic’s attorneys wrote in their petition to the D.C. Circuit, noting that its lawsuit in California was challenging Hegseth’s supply-chain determination, rooted in a law that is not part of the D.C. court’s jurisdiction.
Anthropic’s twin legal attack on the Pentagon’s decision was driven by laws that specifically govern which courts have authority to hear challenges of the kind being mounted by the company.
In response to the lawsuits, White House Spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement that President Trump “will never allow a radical left, woke company to jeopardize our national security by dictating how the greatest and most powerful military in the world operates.”
“The President and Secretary of War are ensuring America’s courageous warfighters have the appropriate tools they need to be successful and will guarantee that they are never held hostage by the ideological whims of any Big Tech leaders. Under the Trump Administration, our military will obey the United States Constitution – not any woke AI company’s terms of service,” said Huston.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the department does not comment on ongoing litigation.
The lawsuits are the latest development in a tumultuous dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic over the company’s restrictions on the military’s use of its technology.