Hegseth Appeals Ruling Halting Kelly Censure

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has filed an appeal against a federal court ruling that halted the Pentagon's efforts to censure and demote Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democratic senator from Arizona and retired Navy captain, over his participation in a video urging military personnel to resist unlawful orders. The appeal, lodged Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenges a preliminary injunction issued earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who found the proposed punishment violated Kelly's First Amendment rights.

The dispute traces back to November, when Kelly joined five other Democratic lawmakers—all veterans of military or intelligence service—in releasing a 90-second video. The message, posted on social media by Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, emphasized the duty of service members to uphold the Constitution and refuse illegal directives. It came amid the Trump administration's controversial military actions, including airstrikes on suspected drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and deployments of the National Guard to U.S. cities to address crime, sometimes against local governors' objections.