Federal court blocks US AI ban: Anthropic reinstated in government systems

The General Services Administration (GSA) on April 3, 2026 withdrew its ban on Anthropic in government systems, following a federal court intervention.

It started on February 27, 2026, when the Trump administration designated Anthropic as a "supply chain risk" and ordered all federal agencies to stop using Claude. The GSA removed Anthropic from USAi.gov and its Multiple Award Schedule.

A federal court in the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction on March 26, 2026, halting the presidential directive. The court found Anthropic is likely to succeed on claims of First Amendment retaliation, procedural due process violations, and Administrative Procedure Act violations.

After the order took effect on April 2, the GSA announced Anthropic is reinstated to its prior status. Claude is again available in GSA Chat, Multiple Award Schedule, and all public-facing services.

However, the Pentagon's CTO maintains that the Department of Defense upholds its own separate ban regardless of the court's ruling. The legal battle is far from over.