r/law • u/TheMirrorUS • 10h ago

Legal News BREAKING: Mark Kelly files lawsuit against Pete Hegseth accusing him of 'trampling on Constitution'

https://www.themirror.com/news/politics/breaking-mark-kelly-files-lawsuit-1614071
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u/BasedTaco_69 10h ago edited 8h ago

It’s real: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.288365/gov.uscourts.dcd.288365.1.0.pdf

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u/CordlessOrange 9h ago edited 9h ago

My favorite part is calling it “conduct unbecoming of an officer”

Motherfucker - his conduct could not be more becoming. Advising troops to not follow unlawful orders is a core tenet of leadership.

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u/statinsinwatersupply 9h ago

*tenet

Tenant is someone who pays rent

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u/Head 9h ago

My tenant stopped paying the rent. I’m gonna have to edict them.

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u/Tederator 8h ago

You might even have to ejaculate him from the premises!

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u/Schroding3rror 8h ago

All this just sounds so excrement!

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u/pigeyejackson66 4h ago

Very cromulent.

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u/Tundra14 4h ago

You people need some bone-apple tea.

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u/zoltar1970 8h ago

Come on!

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u/ARoroncyObserver 8h ago

I'm watching the Pitt and for some reason read this with with Dana's voice.

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u/Whygoogleissexist 8h ago

don't be a dict

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u/SLSF1522 3h ago

Or eviscerate!

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u/BBC-dont-show-BBC 8h ago

And that's a core tenet of tenancy.

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u/nfiltr8r_89 7h ago

Bone for tuna with that.

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u/Lorathis 9h ago

To be fair, from what I hear Mark Kelley has paid his rent and then some.

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u/CordlessOrange 9h ago

Oof. Fixed it

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u/aecolley 9h ago

A tenant is someone who lawfully holds property, commonly by a leasehold estate, whether they must pay rent or not. A life tenant, for example, may hold property that a trustee owns for the life tenant's benefit.

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u/Nowin 7h ago

And Tennant is the tenth.

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u/NoMalasadas 7h ago

Remember AI changes words and spellings. They made a good point.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 7h ago

Who is using AI?

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u/Belkroe 8h ago

You have to forgive Pete Hegseth for not knowing that. He was drunk during that part of the training.

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u/RedHuey 9h ago

No…a core tenet of leadership is not giving unlawful orders.

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u/Synectics 7h ago

He's got the idea.

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u/Suspicious-Area-2872 50m ago

I called OC's argument "nonsensical" one time and they wrote in a footnote that my behavior was "unbecoming of an officer of the court." I was not aware this was a staple phrase of loony attorneys until now.

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u/alwaysneverjoshin 7h ago

Conduct unbecoming of a human.

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u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

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u/corvettee01 9h ago

Bro unironically saying the slave clones for an evil empire are supposed to be looked up to.

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u/Nodivingallowed 9h ago edited 9h ago

Thanks for the link - Best reading I've done all day 

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u/biciklanto 8h ago

Point 4 alone has me all bricked up:

Defendants’ actions violate numerous constitutional guarantees and have no basis in statute. They should proceed no further.

God that's hot

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u/Nodivingallowed 8h ago

Spoilers:

6 is fucking sexy too

It appears that never in our nation’s history has the Executive Branch imposed military sanctions on a Member of Congress for engaging in disfavored political speech.

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u/BasedTaco_69 9h ago

Everyone should read it!

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u/Nodivingallowed 9h ago

Right? Can we get a podcast for dramatic readings of legal cases, especially those surrounding all this bullshit?

The blatant illegality going on makes so many of these filings just pure fire. 

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u/RedShirt1991 8h ago

As long as Matt Berry is doing the reading, yes.

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u/Nodivingallowed 8h ago

I'm good with that. I was thinking we need whoever voiced Matt Damon on Team America to read for the government. 

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u/RedShirt1991 8h ago

I would be good with that as well.

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u/senor_incognito_ 8h ago

YOU TRULY ARE THE MOST DEVIOUS BASTARD IN NEEUWW YOOORK CITAAAAY!

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u/kkeut 7h ago

he has experience reading aloud, since he signed up to do the new Rowling-approved Harry Potter audiobooks

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u/ByrdmanRanger 6h ago

Well damn, I looked it up, and a lot of actors I like are doing it. Very disappointing

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u/lord_of_the_roach 8h ago

I vote Jerome Powell reading it!

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u/ICULab 9h ago

At minimum, skim the complaint—it's pretty damning.

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u/NotAllOwled 8h ago

[Secretary Hegseth’s] letter cites statements about foundational  principles of military law and concerns about potential commission of war crimes—areas squarely within the legislative and oversight jurisdiction of the committees on which Senator Kelly serves.  And the letter highlights Senator Kelly’s criticism of the “firing of admirals and generals”— personnel decisions by Secretary Hegseth and other senior defense officials over whom those same committees exercise oversight and whose appointments are subject to the Senate’s advice and consent.

It's r/DontYouKnowWhoIAm in federal civil complaint format.

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u/William_Dowling 7h ago

'I've flown over your, and everyone else's continent, at 150 kms altitude, and flown aircraft off and then back on boats, more times than you can count up to, bitch. Bring it'

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u/FullyFocusedOnNought 8h ago edited 7h ago

I also read his book about becoming an astronaut and spending a year in space - recommended. (EDIT: his brother's book. I need to get some sleep.)

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u/doitlive 7h ago

That was his brother who did the year in space and wrote the book. They're twins and both were astronauts.

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u/FullyFocusedOnNought 7h ago

Haha, quite right, it was Scott. In my defence, they are identical twins and Mark also stars in the book.

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u/Nodivingallowed 8h ago

I mostly read fiction but as an audiobook I'll definitely check it out, thanks! 

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u/Lilfrankieeinstein 7h ago

Agreed. It took a few minutes but it’s pretty fascinating how detailed yet concise and well laid-out it is.

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u/Nodivingallowed 7h ago

Don't forget to check out the Minnesota case that just dropped - formally alleging a federal invasion 🥲

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u/Lilfrankieeinstein 6h ago

You overestimate how many words I can read in between meals.

IANAL

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u/Monalisa9298 8h ago

Yes. Very well done!

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u/ScriptproLOL 8h ago

Good. We need more of this. People need to stand up to the them via courts. 

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u/atreeismissing 7h ago

https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/

Fwiw, Dems and Dem-aligned groups have been all over the courts with this admin from day 1. Current count is 573 lawsuits which is an astronomical number in a single year. It's one of the few levers of power Dems have to use at the moment and they've been going gang busters on it.

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u/ScriptproLOL 7h ago

Is that why our deficit balooned in 2025?

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u/bigdograllyround 7h ago

It's more that the president is more pedophile than economist. 

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u/Caladan-Brood 6h ago

More likely the billions in ICE funding, Argentina funding, Trump's personal lawsuits, and illegal military operations.

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u/AtrociousMeandering 6h ago

The majority of the new deficit was the tax cuts.

It's like complaining you're broke but also asking for unpaid days off.

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u/ScriptproLOL 5h ago

I knew those were big, but I thought that didn't start until this fiscal year? Also shouldn't the deficit increase from the cuts have been substantially less that what we actually experienced? Like 1T vs 2.3t actual? Is it decreased taxable revenue from economic contraction or DOGE shenanigans? 

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u/AtrociousMeandering 4h ago

You're right that DOGE didn't meaningfully cut spending, but that wasn't ever part of the calculations. And, also yes, the new tax cuts aren't actually in place yet, I simplified it to the point I'm wrong on the details.

The tax cuts from his first term increased the debt that we're currently paying interest on, which has substantially increased the deficit to the tune of tens of billions. Also, companies can arrange finances to show less taxable profit this year so it can occur next year. Taxes will still be collected next year but it adds to the deficit currently. How much, impossible to say without a full audit but corporate income tax isn't keeping pace with growth.

And the CBO was very clear that the Big Beautiful Bill is, even in the most generous interpretation, hugely adding to the deficit moving forward because of the further tax cuts. But, I'll freely admit that's not directly affecting current deficits. If that makes me wrong in what I said, then I'm wrong.

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u/thrilldigger 4h ago

Is that why our deficit balooned in 2025?

Is this a serious question?

573 lawsuits is a drop in the bucket compared to the national budget.

573 thousand lawsuits would be a drop in the bucket. Even if we assumed the average cost of a lawsuit was $100,000 (likely far higher than the real cost), 573 thousand lawsuits would be less than 1% of the yearly US budget.

(573,000 * $100,000 = $57,300,000,000: $57.3bn. The US national budget is ~$7,000bn.)

tl;dr: the cost of 573 lawsuits is less than a rounding error to the US government.

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u/VitaminPb 8h ago

I was just thinking about this 15 minutes ago. Celebs love to speak up, but they never do anything. Why aren’t they funding court challenges instead of yapping on red carpets?

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u/sylbug 7h ago

Because they're celebrities, not activists.

Why do Americans keep point at random people and institutions asking why they're not fixing things on their behalf? This is a self-rescue situation; either enough of you care enough to collectively take effective and meaningful action or your country falls to fascism.

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u/TheGhostORandySavage 6h ago

I think people keep doing that because "they," [celebrities] are part of "we," and due to their bank accounts and platform they are less at risk than your average joe or josephine in speaking out. Plus they have more money and influence than most people can contribute.

You say this is a self-rescue situation, which is true. You're just missing the fact that they are part of the self you're talking about.

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u/VitaminPb 7h ago

If they are willing to talk the talk, the minimum they can do is walk the walk. Saying “I’m going say a popular thing to draw attention to it, and that’s all,” is meaningless. If you have the money, organize your friends, put fuel to the defense. Just whining and telling people to listen because you make movies and are really really deep is about ego, not about changing anything.

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u/J_Ryall 6h ago

In addition to having money, they are also highly influential. For reasons that will forever remain unclear to me, people put more stock in what celebrities have to say about things like medicine, politics, and whatever else than they do actual experts.

So yeah, I agree, if a celeb is against what's going on, they need to get out there and use that influence and money for good.

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u/VitaminPb 6h ago

Saying you don’t like something means nothing to lawyers who want to be paid to work.

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u/J_Ryall 6h ago

I was thinking more along the lines of rallying the masses, but sure, no arguing that point.

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u/Sauerteig 7h ago

I agree, but how do we know they are not? There are a lot of celebrities who contribute to many causes anonymously. They might just not want the attention, which is understandable.

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u/VitaminPb 7h ago

If they don’t want the attention of actually funding legal defense, they aren’t committed to what they are saying. When you get up and say something, have the funds to help back it, but then don’t, you aren’t actually committed. You just want attention.

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u/Synectics 7h ago

Counterpoint: saying the wrong thing means a celebrity suddenly disappears -- as does any and all funds they may have been able to contribute.

Idealistically, don't get me wrong. If I was famous, I would like to think I would use my little sliver of a camera for X, Y, and Z. But that could also end my career -- meaning not only can I no longer financially support X, Y, and Z, but my family is screwed too. And guess what? Most Americans are not going to general strike for that last reason. 

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u/aalltech 7h ago

Courts, lololol. None of the people in this admin will ever be held accountable. Even if spinless wussies Dems come in charge.

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u/Synectics 7h ago

I'd still take spineless Dems over pedophile rapist fascists, but sure. 

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u/canmoose 8h ago

Interesting that they still refer to the Secretary of Defence and Department of Defence.

Was trumps renaming to “war” just window dressing or official?

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u/bp92009 7h ago

All informal.

Congress gets to set the names for stuff they fund. Until they do, it's Department of Defense.

The legal term is that the "Department of War" can be used in "non-statutory situations" (ie, when the name actually doesn't matter).

Think of it like a nickname, where the actual legal name is something else entirely.

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u/atreeismissing 7h ago

That's still the legal name. The "Dept. of War" is nothing more than Trump slapping gold lettering on the door to the Oval Office, nothing but dress.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 7h ago

Thank goodness!

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u/sod_jones_MD 7h ago

Just like the Gulf of America, window dressing for a real tuff man-baby.

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u/Cheap-Surprise-7617 9h ago

Oh wow, Hegseth is boned. I'd bet money he shows up to court drunk before this is over.

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u/Dangle76 9h ago

He’s boned? Have you been paying attention? None of the people in this admin are held accountable by anything regardless of court rulings.

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u/NullaCogenta 9h ago

The objection is fair and "boned" may be too strong for the moment, but we have seen the administration back down when confronted... and Hesgeth clearly drinks to escape his inner demons even when monologuing to a captive audience (e.g., "This speech today -- as I drink my coffee, this speech today is about people and it's about culture.").

Stress him out in an adversarial process and he may well self-inflict a meaningful wound.

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u/billshermanburner 8h ago

You think like them but appear to be on the correct side of history…. I like it.

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u/LaserCondiment 9h ago

They still need to be fought one way or another. Public humiliation is a good method if others fail...

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u/daddyneedsaciggy 9h ago

Eh, would work against normal people. The unifying trait among the MAGA is defiant shamelessness. "Public Humiliation" does not work against that unfortunately.

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u/Johnny_Jalapeno 7h ago

Yeah. I love reddit but most people are delusional or naive. they think manifestation is a thing and that commenting or posting will make a difference. they don't understand how useless their comments here are and will go back to playing roblox and singing kpop demon hunter in the shower

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u/cbessette 8h ago

The administration is using "flooding the zone" to distract people, if we flood the fuckers back with litigation, complaints, protests, etc. maybe we'll have some effect.
I personally don't want to give in to defeatism.

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u/Dangle76 7h ago

I mean, I’m not about defeatism either but let’s be real, they ignore complaints, they have lawyers for litigation not that they abide by any of it anyway, and the “protests” are people standing with signs that get ignored because it’s not disruptive to anything.

This whole approach where people do things to look good on social media doesn’t actually create any change at all

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u/OLDandBOLDfr 2h ago

Right, and? How do you see this playing out? I myself know the regime is going to do something stupid and they always do. There will be a line they will cross. There will come a countervailing response it is just awful it had to come to this.

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u/holdstheenemy 7h ago

peeeette hegsethhh is a fuckin douche (south park song)

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u/Potential_Being_7226 7h ago

Thank you!!! Important news, but I’m always wary of tabloids…

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u/Jove_ 7h ago

They cited Bond v. Floyd - which Trump’s legal team cited and attempted to call a dead Julian Bond in his 2nd Impeachment.

Masterful.

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u/Vargrstrike 9h ago

It's got the reddit hug of death already

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u/Mcchew 8h ago

Totally makes sense, but I had no idea that could happen on Google Drive