A federal judge has blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort to reduce the retirement rank and pay of Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain who publicly called on U.S. service members to disobey unlawful orders. In Thursday’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush nominee, blasted the Trump administration’s efforts to chill constitutionally protected speech, writing, “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. To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their government, and our constitution demands they receive it!”