My Crystal City friends can use Claude again

Defense Secretary Kegsbreath launched a broadside against Anthropic a few months ago and he restricted the use of Anthropic products from both his corner of the Trump Administration as well as anyone holding a federal contract. His heavy-handed ban has been curbed.

The DOD still can’t use Anthropic but contractors and other federal agencies can, thanks to a court ruling by California federal judge Rita Lin. She ruled that the DOD’s attempt to designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” amounted to “unlawful retaliation”.

The decision is a win for Anthropic but it still faces a separate legal tussle in a Washington appeals court, which in April rejected its request to pause the designation. The US government could also appeal the California ruling.

According to friends working inside the Washington Beltway, they can now legally use Anthropic’s products for their contract work with the Pentagon. Several are using Mythos to analyse cyber and national security risks.