Don Lemon pleads not guilty to federal civil rights charges linked to Minnesota church protest
By ANASTACIO ALEGRIA
ST. PAUL, Minn./WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (IPU NEWS) — Former CNN anchor and independent journalist **Don Lemon pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal civil rights charges related to a protest that disrupted a church service in **Minnesota last month, tying his legal battle to broader debates over press freedom and immigration policy in the United States. (Reuters)
Lemon and four others appeared in federal court in St. Paul to enter not guilty pleas in connection with the January 18 protest at Cities Church, where demonstrators opposed the presence of federal immigration enforcement and chanted slogans including “ICE out.” At issue are allegations that the defendants conspired to deprive individuals of their civil rights and violated a statute that prohibits interference with religious worship. (Reuters)
Lemon, who livestreamed portions of the event for his independent news show, says he was not a participant in the protest but was covering it in his capacity as a journalist. He has vowed to fight the charges, asserting they threaten freedom of the press and are “baseless.” Outside the courthouse, his supporters chanted in solidarity, including calls to “protect the press.” (Reuters)
The case has drawn attention to the use of the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a law typically applied to protect access to medical clinics but also invoked to bar obstruction of places of worship. Prosecutors allege the actions at the church crossed legal lines by disrupting worship and potentially infringing on congregants’ constitutional rights. (AP News)
Legal teams for Lemon and fellow defendants are expected to challenge the charges on First Amendment grounds, and have sought the return of Lemon’s phone, which was seized during his arrest and remains in federal custody under a sealed search warrant. Another independent journalist charged in the case, Georgia Fort, is due to enter her plea next week. (AP News)
The protest was part of larger demonstrations against federal enforcement actions in the state, following fatal shootings by immigration agents that sparked national debate and local unrest. Trump administration officials have defended the prosecution as necessary to uphold the rule of law, while press freedom advocates warn it could have chilling effects on journalism covering contentious public events. (Reuters)
Lemon’s plea marks a key early stage in a case that could test how far civil rights statutes can be applied to journalists reporting on public protests, and how courts balance religious liberty, protest rights and press freedoms.
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