A federal judge orders the Pentagon to give Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. temporary relief from a lobbying restriction connected to the agency’s blacklist, according to reports. The measure had required Alibaba to lose all of its Washington lobbyists, prompted by concerns that the company’s activities could be limited under a US government effort to curb certain conduct by Chinese companies. The judge’s order keeps the ban from taking effect while the court reviews the law’s constitutionality. The case is expected to determine whether and how far the US government can restrict a private company’s lobbying and related activities. While details of the underlying legal challenge are still being considered by the court, the order functions as an interim reprieve that allows Alibaba to continue lobbying activities during the review process. The dispute is framed as a broader test of constitutional limits on government restrictions tied to national security or other strategic concerns involving foreign companies.