Anthropic PBC turned to lawyers from a firm also targeted by the Trump administration to sue the Defense Department over its decision to blacklist the artificial intelligence giant.
The company, represented by lawyers from WilmerHale, accused the department of retaliating against Anthropic after the AI company tried to limit how its tools are used on battlefields and for surveillance. WilmerHale was among the law firms that President Donald Trump hit with executive orders last year. The lawyers representing Anthropic cited federal court rulings striking down orders punishing other law firms last year in support of the company’s claims that the administration is violating its constitutional rights.
“Anthropic turns to the judiciary as a last resort to vindicate its rights and halt the Executive’s unlawful campaign of retaliation,” the company said in the complaint.
The suit, filed Monday in a federal court in California, challenges the Defense Department’s decision to declare that Anthropic poses a threat to the US supply chain. The company asked a judge to block the Pentagon’s move to steer AI work to OpenAI and other rivals based on the risk designation.
The WilmerHale team representing Anthropic includes Kelly Dunbar, who leads the firm’s administrative law group. Michael Mongan, former solicitor general of California who joined the firm’s San Francisco office in October, is also on the case. The firm did not immediately return a request for comment about the suit on Monday.
WilmerHale was one of five firms that Trump hit with executive orders last year, threatening their security clearances, access to federal buildings, and government contracts held by clients. It was among the four firms that challenged the orders in court and won rulings blocking them from going into effect. The Trump administration is currently appealing those decisions, arguing that the courts are interfering with the president’s authority to address national security and other risks.
Roy Strom contributed to this report.
The case is Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War, N.D. Cal., 3:26-cv-01996, 3/9/26
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