Citing the US Senator’s First Amendment Rights….
A Federal Judge blacks the US Defense Sec from censuring or lowering Kelly’s military rank…
This follows a Federal Grand Jury Refusing to indict Kelly and other law makers for cautioning US Military members about following ‘illegal orders ‘….
Hegseth Loses everywhere he turns to on this….
A federal judge has sided with Sen. Mark Kelly to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from punishing the former Navy captain for advising troops not to follow illegal orders.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in a Thursday ruling, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Pentagon’s effort to demote the Arizona Democrat’s rank and reduce his retirement pay.
“This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees,” Leon wrote. “To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!”
The decision is the second legal setback this week for the Trump administration’s campaign to punish Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers, who released a video last fall telling military personnel they don’t have to adhere to illegal orders.
The Justice Department on Tuesday failed to secure criminal charges against the six Democrats — all of whom have military or intelligence backgrounds — over the video after a grand jury in Washington rejected an indictment.
“This administration was sending a message to millions of retired veterans that they too can be censured or demoted just for speaking out,” Kelly said in a statement. “That’s why I couldn’t let it stand.”…
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Kelly and the other lawmakers did not specify in the video what orders they considered illegal. But Democrats have argued Trump is putting the military in a legal gray area with deadly strikes against suspect drug smuggling boats in Latin America and by deploying the National Guard to U.S. cities….
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