WATCH: Sen. Kelly says Trump administration is ‘out of control’ after judge blocks Pentagon punishment

A federal judge agreed Thursday to temporarily block the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, for participating in a video calling on troops to resist illegal orders.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., spoke to reporters, including Lisa Desjardins of PBS News, on Thursday. Watch his remarks in the video player above.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that Pentagon officials violated Kelly’s First Amendment free speech rights and “threatened the constitutional freedoms of millions of military retirees.”

Read more: Judge temporarily blocks the Pentagon from punishing Senator Kelly for his call to resist illegal orders

Kelly, who represents the state of Arizona, filed a lawsuit in federal court to prevent his January 5 censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In November, Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers appeared in a video urging troops to uphold the Constitution and not follow illegal military directives from the Trump administration.

Republican President Donald Trump accused lawmakers of inciting sedition, “punishable by death,” in a social media post days later.

Hegseth said Kelly’s criticism was a “necessary practical step” for actions that could result in the senator’s retiring captain being demoted and a subsequent reduction in his retirement pay.