US appeals court upholds Anthropic military blacklist

A US federal appeals court declined on September 25, 2026, to block a Department of Defense order that placed Anthropic on a military contract blacklist and designated the artificial intelligence company as a national security risk.

The ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit came in a lawsuit filed by Anthropic challenging the Pentagon's decision to label it a supply chain risk to national security. Anthropic stated that this decision has caused billions of dollars in losses and damaged its reputation ahead of its expected initial public offering.

Anthropic said in a statement that, while it respectfully disagrees with the ruling, it remains confident in its position and is evaluating its options, including further judicial review.

The decision follows a ruling by a federal judge in San Francisco who overturned a parallel designation under another statute, finding that the government had unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic over its views on AI safety.