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D.C. Circuit Upholds Pentagon Risk Designation Against Anthropic

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 2:27 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk designation against Anthropic on September 25, 2026.
The 2-1 majority, Trump appointees Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao, prevailed over Judge Karen Henderson.
The court said Claude’s built-in limits on autonomous weapons and mass surveillance create a national-security risk.
A California court previously struck down a similar designation, leaving the two rulings in conflict.

History

Historical Context

After Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter issued Directive 3000.09 in November 2012 to require full testing of autonomous weapons, the DoD updated the policy in January 2023 and promoted AI norms through a 2024 declaration signed by 58 nations. In 2026 the D.C. Circuit upheld restrictions on Anthropic’s Claude, echoing the 2012 mandate and spurring new congressional AI controls.

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Story summary

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk designation against Anthropic on September 25, 2026.
The 2-1 majority, Trump appointees Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao, prevailed over Judge Karen Henderson.
The court said Claude’s built-in limits on autonomous weapons and mass surveillance create a national-security risk.
A California court previously struck down a similar designation, leaving the two rulings in conflict.

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