US EditionJudge 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`.
200 Articles
200 Articles
District Federal Judge Richard Leon blocked Thursday's attempt by the Pentagon to formally reprimand the Democratic Senator for Arizona, Mark Kelly, and reduce his retirement rank following the broadcast of a video in which both he and several of his colleagues urged members of the service to reject illegal orders. The federal judge acknowledged that active service personnel operate under more limited First Amendment protections to preserve mili…
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly over ‘unlawful orders’ video
A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction to U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, blocking Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Department of War from taking disciplinary action against the Arizona Democrat over a video in which he said U.S. servicemembers can refuse unlawful orders. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said Kelly, a retired Navy captain who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is likely to succeed on his claim that the Pentagon ret…
Pete Hegseth says Pentagon will repeal court order blocking punishment against Mark Kelly
A federal judge temporarily blocked the punishment against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over a video directing U.S. military members to refuse unlawful orders from the administration.U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that Kelly's First Amendment free speech rights were violated by Pentagon officials. He went on to say the punishment had "threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees."'This will b…
District Judges Can Now Tell the Military What to Do: One Bars Sec. Hegseth from Punishing Sen. Kelly
A judge ruled that Secretary Hegseth cannot discipline Sen. Mark Kelly over his seditious video statement. Apparently, Kelly has the right to make seditious videos telling soldiers President Trump is breaking the law when he isn’t and further advising soldiers to disobey “unlawful” orders. The Story Hegseth is seeking to punish Kelly for participating in […] The post District Judges Can Now Tell the Military What to Do: One Bars Sec. Hegseth fro…
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