US appeals court appears skeptical of Pentagon bid to punish Mark Kelly

Case involves White House effort to censure the US senator over video urging service members to ‘refuse illegal orders’ A US federal appeals court at a hearing on Thursday appeared skeptical that the Trump administration could legally punish Mark Kelly, a Democratic US senator, over public remarks he made urging service members to refuse unlawful orders. Members of a three-judge panel of the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit criticized the government’s efforts to censure Kelly, a retired navy captain and Arizona Democrat, over more than an hour of questioning. Continue reading...

Reuters · Thu, May 7, 2026, 11:30 AM
US news | The Guardian

US appeals court appears skeptical of Pentagon bid to punish Mark Kelly

Case involves White House effort to censure the US senator over video urging service members to ‘refuse illegal orders’

A US federal appeals court at a hearing on Thursday appeared skeptical that the Trump administration could legally punish Mark Kelly, a Democratic US senator, over public remarks he made urging service members to refuse unlawful orders.

Members of a three-judge panel of the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit criticized the government’s efforts to censure Kelly, a retired navy captain and Arizona Democrat, over more than an hour of questioning.

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