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Judge halts Hegseth's bid to punish Sen. Kelly for video message to troops

A judge blocked disciplinary proceedings against Kelly over his video reminding service members they can refuse illegal orders.

Judge halts Hegseth's bid to punish Sen. Kelly for video message to troops
Image · Spokesman.com

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This article1 analysis · Oct 10, 2026

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40 stories · 86–88 · updated Oct 11, 2026

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Spokesman.comvia The Washington Post
Feb 12, 2026
tl;dr

A federal judge blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from enforcing a censure and disciplinary proceedings against Sen. Mark Kelly over a video about refusing illegal orders. The ruling says the actions threatened Kelly’s free-speech rights; the Trump administration is expected to appeal.

Community verdict

12 VOTES
How does this story look for
Mark Kelly D · AZ · SEN

Counts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 75

● OPEN
  • Readers of left-leaning coverage: 60% good look
  • Readers of right-leaning coverage: not enough votes yet
Votes cast on this page

Votes cast on this page: ▲ 0 · ◆ 0 · ▼ 0

People in this story

SWIPE →
Mark Kelly
D · AZ · SEN

Senator subject to the censure and disciplinary proceedings blocked by the judge

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Pete Hegseth
R · Secretary of Defense

Defense secretary who issued the censure and ordered disciplinary proceedings against Kelly

Hegseth's version of this story ↗
Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President whose administration is expected to appeal the ruling

ALSO MENTIONED  Richard J. Leon, U.S. district judge who issued the injunction; Gabrielle Giffords, Former congresswoman and Kelly’s wife, mentioned in background about his Navy career; George W. Bush, Former president who nominated Judge Leon to the bench

Part of a bigger story

28 OUTLETS
Judge Blocks Pentagon Action Against Senator Mark Kelly

A federal judge temporarily blocked Pentagon action against Senator Mark Kelly over a video urging service members to resist unlawful orders. The ruling pauses potential penalties connected to his statements. Left-leaning outlets emphasize the ruling as a defense of Kelly’s First Amendment rights. Center outlets focus on Kelly’s lawsuit and the legal arguments, including the government’s response. Right-leaning outlets emphasize Hegseth’s stated plan to appeal.

Discussion · 0

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