Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon From Punishing Sen. Mark Kelly, Citing First Amendment Violation

A federal judge has blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from taking punitive action against U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, ruling the Pentagon's response amounted to unconstitutional retaliation against the Arizona Democrat.

The decision comes days after a grand jury declined to bring charges against Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers over a video in which they urged military service members to refuse illegal orders. In his ruling, the judge wrote that the Pentagon's actions violated the First Amendment, calling them an impermissible effort to punish protected speech.

Kelly was reprimanded for speaking on matters of public concern and remains entitled to constitutional protections, the judge said.

It's unclear whether the Trump administration plans to appeal.