Journalist Don Lemon Pleads Not Guilty to Civil Rights Charges in Minnesota Church Protest
Don Lemon pleads not guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as pastor. The former CNN host turned independent journalist entered the U.S. District Courthouse in St. Paul on Friday alongside attorney Joe Thompson but declined to comment to reporters.
Roughly two dozen demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse, chanting “Pam Bondi has got to go” and “Protect the press” as proceedings unfolded. Lemon’s arraignment formally placed him among nine individuals charged in connection with the January protest.
Protest at Cities Church Draws Federal Charges
The charges arise from a Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in St. Paul. Demonstrators interrupted a service, chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referencing the 37 year old mother of three fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.
Lemon has maintained that he was present strictly in his capacity as a journalist covering the event for his livestream program and not as a participant. After his arrest, he told reporters, “I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now. In fact, there is no more important time than right now, this very moment for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”
Two additional defendants, including independent journalist Georgia Fort, are scheduled for arraignment next week.
Civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong was also scheduled to be arraigned Friday. Armstrong became the subject of a doctored image circulated on official White House social media that falsely depicted her crying during her arrest. The altered image surfaced amid a wave of AI manipulated content following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis.
The protest and subsequent charges have drawn sharp reactions from conservative religious and political leaders. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on social media that President Trump would not tolerate what she characterized as intimidation of Christians in places of worship. At the same time, some clergy critical of the administration’s immigration policies expressed discomfort over the protest occurring inside a church.
Charges Filed Under 1994 Federal Law
All nine defendants are charged under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The statute prohibits interference or intimidation by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction against individuals exercising their First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of worship. Convictions can carry penalties of up to one year in prison and fines reaching $10,000.
Lemon is represented by Joe Thompson, one of several former prosecutors who recently left the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office. Thompson had led major public program fraud investigations before resigning last month, reportedly citing frustration with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement approach and the Justice Department’s handling of the Minneapolis shootings.
The administration has pointed to fraud cases, many involving defendants from Minnesota’s Somali community, as justification for its broader immigration crackdown.
