Former CNN host Don Lemon faces federal charges for allegedly disrupting a religious service at a Minnesota church while filming anti-immigration enforcement protesters in January.

Federal Charges Filed

Lemon appeared in court after federal agents arrested him in Los Angeles while he was covering the Grammy Awards. He was charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedoms by allegedly obstructing First Amendment rights through force. The charges stem from his January 18 entry into Cities Church in St. Paul with protesters who claimed one of the pastors worked as an immigration enforcement official.

Attorney General Pam Bondi described the incident as a coordinated attack on the church. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that federal agents from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security conducted the arrests. Eight other co-defendants face similar charges, including independent journalist Georgia Fort and activists Trahem Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy.

Legal Process and Defense

The case followed an unusual legal path. A magistrate judge initially approved charges against only three defendants, excluding Lemon. After government appeals, prosecutors presented the case to a federal grand jury, which ultimately approved charges against all nine defendants present at the church protest. Defense attorney Abbe Lowell called the charges an unprecedented attack on First Amendment rights and vowed to fight them vigorously in court.

What This Means

The case highlights tensions between press freedom and religious liberty under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Lemon, who was fired from CNN in April 2023 after 17 years, had live-streamed the protest on his YouTube show, describing it as a secret operation. The indictment suggests Lemon took steps to maintain operational secrecy during the church disruption. This represents a significant legal test of journalistic coverage during protests at religious facilities.