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Microsoft Backs Anthropic in Court Fight Over Pentagon Blacklist

The tech giant urges a judge to pause immediate sanctions on Claude, warning they could disrupt military workflows that relied on the model for classified tasks.

Overview

  • Microsoft filed a supporting brief asking for a temporary suspension of U.S. actions against Anthropic, warning the sudden cutoff could "potentially hamper American fighters."
  • Anthropic sued in federal court in California to overturn its placement on a federal supply‑chain risk list and to rescind related government decisions, including contract cancellations.
  • On March 4, the Trump administration blacklisted Anthropic and the Defense Department terminated a $200 million deal, forcing Pentagon contractors to halt use of the Claude models.
  • U.S. officials’ moves followed Anthropic’s refusal to relax safeguards on its AI that bar mass surveillance of Americans and autonomous lethal weapon use, according to court filings and reporting.
  • The Pentagon is reported to be shifting similar work to OpenAI, and media have reported Claude was authorized for classified use, including in planning related to operations involving Iran.