Former CNN anchor and independent journalist Don Lemon was released Friday on a personal recognizance bond after spending the night in federal custody and appearing in court in Los Angeles.
Lemon was arrested Thursday while covering events surrounding the Grammy Awards. Federal authorities charged him in connection with his presence and reporting at an anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 18.
Federal prosecutors have indicted Lemon and others on multiple counts, including conspiracy to interfere with religious freedom at a house of worship and alleged violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The FACE Act prohibits interference with access to abortion services. It also explicitly protects individuals exercising their First Amendment rights of religious freedom at places of worship, including churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the arrest as an attack on press freedom, arguing Lemon was engaged in constitutionally protected newsgathering.
“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles,” Lowell said in a statement. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”
Lowell accused the Trump Justice Department of targeting Lemon rather than focusing on recent fatal shootings involving federal agents in Minnesota, including the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He called the case “an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
Prosecutors allege demonstrators disrupted a church service during the Jan. 18 protest and claim Lemon’s livestreaming and reporting activities went beyond observation.
Speaking briefly outside court, Lemon said he “will not be silenced” and vowed to fight the charges.
Mediaite’s Michael Luciano continues:
The Department of Justice charged Lemon, who now hosts a YouTube show, with conspiracy to deprive the congregants of their right to worship. Lemon has pleaded not guilty. Three others, including independent journalist Georgia Fort, were also arrested. Fort livestreamed a masked agent at her door shortly before her arrest.
On Friday evening outside the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Lemon spoke to a crowd of supporters:
Earlier in the day, Attorney General Pam Bondi took a victory lap after Lemon’s arrest.
“Make no mistake, under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” Bondi said. “And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”
The protest drew national attention after demonstrators interrupted worship to object to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and a pastor associated with the agency.
The case has drawn attention from press freedom advocates and civil liberties organizations, which have argued that prosecuting a journalist for reporting could raise broader First Amendment questions, depending on how the law is applied.
Trump issued pardons in January 2025 for 23 individuals convicted under the FACE Act, saying at the time that they “should not have been prosecuted.”
Lemon’s next court appearance is scheduled for early February in Minnesota.
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Lemon’s press freedom does not override the congregation’s right to freedom of religion. It is quite apparent from Lemon’s own reporting he was involved in the planning and execution of the violation, as well as participating in it. Abbie Lowell can pontificate all he wants about freedom of press, but that is a deflection of the root issue of the charges.
Can we trade Minnesota for Alberta? Looks like a win-win to me.
The right to freedom of speech does not preclude, or in any other way overpower, the 1st Amendment right to the freedom of worship ( to worship in peace … peace from any kind of attack by anyone ).
Because the Constitution forbids ‘government’ from interfering with peaceful worship services, that does not mean that so-called ‘news services’ somehow are given some kind of ‘right’ that ‘government’ does NOT have.
If these so-called ‘news services’ have a problem with the Right to worship in peace … they can petition the courts for some private so-called ‘right’ to supersede our Constitutional Right ( good luck with THAT! 😠 ).
If we are ever denied our Constitutional Rights ( including those such as observed in this situation ), we can naturally assume that our country is no longer a free society under our Constitution.
You folks who may read this can, then, understand what will happen ( as our Declaration of Independance prescribes ) to, and in, this country.
We will NOT give up our God Given Constitutional Freedoms and Rights, as is our RIGHT to do ( as delineated in the U.S. Constitution and in our Declaration … . ) to anyone … EVER.
To those who do not like our country … don’t think that you can change it. Just leave it … and leave us alone! We will always try to improve our country, but we will never allow anyone to ‘change’ it to their socialist/communist form.