Journalist Don Lemon to be arraigned in Minnesota church protest case
Former CNN host and independent journalist Don Lemon is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Minnesota on Friday, along with four other defendants charged in connection with a protest that disrupted a church service led by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The arraignment will allow the defendants to enter pleas and set future court dates. It is not yet clear whether Lemon will attend in person or be represented by his attorneys; his lawyer, Joe Thompson, has not commented publicly this week.
Also set for arraignment Friday is civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was the subject of a doctored photo posted on a White House social media account showing her allegedly crying at the time of her arrest. The altered image is part of a larger wave of AI-manipulated media that has circulated since the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Two additional defendants, including independent journalist Georgia Fort, are scheduled for arraignment next week, bringing the total charged to nine.
Lemon has stated through attorney Marilyn Bednarsk that he intends to plead not guilty to federal civil rights charges arising from his coverage of the protest at Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18. During the demonstration, protesters chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referencing the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last month. Lemon has maintained he was not part of the protest and was present solely to cover the event for his livestream show.
“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,” Lemon said after his arrest.
The protest drew criticism from conservative religious and political leaders, and even some clergy who oppose the administration’s immigration policies expressed unease over the disruption. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted that “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.”
The charges reference the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits interference or intimidation of individuals exercising their First Amendment rights at places of worship. Penalties can include up to one year in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
Thompson, one of Lemon’s attorneys, is a former Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutor who recently resigned amid frustration with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies and the federal response to the Minneapolis shootings. He had previously overseen major public program fraud investigations in the state, cases the administration has cited as justification for its immigration actions, particularly targeting the Somali community.
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