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Judge blocks Hegseth, Pentagon bid to punish Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video
A federal judge ruled the Pentagon's censure of Sen. Mark Kelly violates his First Amendment rights, blocking disciplinary actions and protecting speech of millions of military retirees.
- A federal judge in Washington temporarily blocked the Pentagon from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly, citing violations of his First Amendment rights, on Thursday.
- The dispute began with a November social media video in which Sen. Mark Kelly and five other Democratic veterans urged service members to refuse unlawful orders, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a Jan. 5 censure prompting Kelly to sue earlier this year.
- In a 29-page ruling the judge rebuked the administration, authoring a scathing opinion with multiple exclamation points urging defendants to respect retired servicemembers and citing the amicus brief on veterans' fear of reprisal.
- Leon barred enforcement and asked for a 30-day status update, prohibiting the Pentagon from punishing Kelly while the lawsuit continues and blocking demotion in retired rank and retirement pay.
- The ruling raises questions about extending military speech limits to retirees, as Sen. Mark Kelly said `This is a critical moment to show this administration they can't keep undermining Americans' rights`.
244 Articles
244 Articles
Judge Weighs In On War Department Censure Of Sen. Mark Kelly
By Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal | February 12, 2026 A federal judge stopped War Secretary Pete Hegseth—at least temporarily—from censuring Sen. Mark Kelly for his role in a video telling American soldiers to refuse illegal orders. Judge Rich Leon, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, on Thursday ruled in favor of Kelly, D-Ariz., a retired Navy captain, who had joined five other Democrat members of Congress telling service members…
'Whiskey' Pete Hegseth Smacked Down In Kelly’s ‘Illegal Orders’ Case
It’s another big, public fail for Donald Trump’s efforts to punish Democratic members of Congress for reminding U.S. servicemembers, in a video, they are obligated to follow the law and to disobey any illegal orders. Felonious Trump was so triggered by their remarks, he raged that it was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” So far, it’s not punishable at all. Which is how it should be. On Tuesday, Trump lackey Jeanine Pirro suffered a humi…
Judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Mark Kelly over video; Hegseth vows to appeal
A federal judge on Thursday barred the Pentagon from reducing Sen. Mark Kelly’s military retirement rank and pay over a video urging service members to refuse illegal orders. The ruling halts disciplinary proceedings initiated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and prohibits any adverse action against the Arizona Democrat while the case proceeds. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon found that the Defense Department’s effort to demote Kelly, a retire…
US judge blocks Pentagon’s effort to punish Senator Mark Kelly
A U.S. judge blocked the Pentagon on Thursday from reducing Senator Mark Kelly’s retired military rank and pension pay as punishment after he urged troops to reject unlawful orders. The preliminary ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington is the latest setback in court for President Donald Trump’s historic campaign of vengeance against his perceived political enemies, which has drawn pushback from judges across the ideological sp…
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