A United States judge has granted an injunction preventing the Department of Defense from stripping Senator Mark Kelly, a military veteran, of his retirement pension and military rank.The Defense Department had taken punitive action against Kelly for critical statements he had made against President Donald Trump.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listBut on Thursday, Judge Richard J Leon, an appointee of Republican President George W Bush, issued a forceful rebuke, accusing the Trump administration of trying to stifle veterans’ free speech rights.Leon directed much of his ruling at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a senior Trump official who announced on January 5 that Kelly would be censured for what he characterised as “seditious” statements.“Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” Leon wrote.“If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!”History of the caseThursday’s decision comes after Kelly, a Democratic member of Congress, filed a …
