A Marine Corps reserve officer won a temporary victory in federal court Friday, effectively blocking a discharge order handed down after he was found to have improperly handled classified information, something his lawyer called a minor transgression compared with Hillary Clinton’s security lapses.

The court appearance was the culmination of Maj. Jason Brezler’s long-running effort to reverse a Marine decision to discharge him and to prove that top generals, including the commandant of the Marine Corps, punished him because he brought attention to alleged mistakes that led to the deaths of three troops in Afghanistan.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Bianco told the Marine Corps to temporarily hold its decision to discharge Maj. Brezler. He also gave lawyers for the Marines just over a week to provide more information about the details of the case.

“They have 10 days to show proof they didn’t retaliate against him,” said Michael Bowe, Maj. Brezler’s lawyer.

The Marine Corps didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.