Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Thursday blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's bid to punish Sen. Mark Kelly over participating in a video calling on U.S. troops to refuse illegal orders.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the Department of Defense violated the Arizona senator's First Amendment rights by attempting to reduce his pension over comments he made.
"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!"
Leon's ruling came after a Washington, D.C., grand jury refused to charge Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers who participated in the video. The lawmakers released the video in November over concerns about military actions in the Caribbean.
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