Pentagon is appealing court order blocking punishment for Senator Mark Kelly
Kelly participated in video urging troops to resist unlawful orders
Judge Leon ruled Pentagon violated Kelly's First Amendment rights
Grand jury declined to indict lawmakers after Trump's sedition accusations
📖 Full Retelling
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is appealing a judge's order that blocks him from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders, according to a court filing on Tuesday in Washington. Justice Department officials filed a notice that they will ask a panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the Feb. 12 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who had prohibited the Pentagon from implementing or enforcing Kelly's punishment while his lawsuit is pending. Kelly, who represents Arizona, responded to the appeal by saying in a social media post that the only reason for Hegseth to appeal is to 'keep trampling on the free speech rights of retired veterans and silence dissent,' adding 'These guys don't know when to quit.' The case stems from a 90-second video posted in November in which Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers urged troops to uphold the Constitution and not follow unlawful military directives from the Trump administration. Republican President Donald Trump responded by accusing the lawmakers of sedition 'punishable by DEATH' in a social media post, though a Washington grand jury earlier this month declined to indict the lawmakers over the video.
🏷️ Themes
Free Speech, Military Justice, Political Polarization
1791 amendment limiting government restriction of civil liberties
The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from making laws respecting an establishment of religion; prohibiting the free exercise of religion; or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly, or the right to petition t...
American politician, astronaut and naval officer (born 1964)
Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician and a retired astronaut and naval officer. He is the senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he has held since 2020. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognised as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human ...
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