Don Lemon has been released following his arrest related to his reporting on a protest at a Minnesota church, with his attorney confirming that he intends to plead not guilty.
Marilyn Bednarski, Lemon’s lawyer, said after Friday’s hearing that her client plans to fight the charges. “He’s committed to fighting this case,” she said.
Appearing briefly before U.S. District Judge Patricia Donahue at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse, Lemon was released on a no-money bond. Federal prosecutors have charged the former CNN anchor with allegedly crossing the line from protected First Amendment activity into conduct that impeded church-goers’ rights to freely practice their religious beliefs.
Under the conditions of his release, Lemon is barred from contacting any victims, witnesses, or co-defendants and must seek permission for international travel. He has been allowed to proceed with a previously scheduled trip to France in June.
Prosecutors sought significantly harsher restrictions, requesting a $100,000 bond, limits on Lemon’s travel to New York, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C., and the surrender of his passport. U.S. Attorney Alexander Robbins argued that Lemon committed a “very serious felony” by participating in what he described as a “mob that terrorized people in a place of worship.”
Lemon, dressed in a cream blazer and pants, spoke only to confirm that he had been informed of and waived certain rights.
The case has already taken an unusual procedural path. Federal prosecutors previously sought arrest warrants for Lemon and others connected to the protest, but a Minnesota magistrate judge rejected the request for lack of probable cause.
That decision was later upheld by Minnesota Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, who described the government’s attempt to override the ruling as “unheard of in our district, or, as best as I can tell, any other district in the Eighth Circuit,” and emphasized that there was no evidence Lemon committed a crime.
Despite those rulings, prosecutors appealed to the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a later opinion, Trump-appointed Judge Steven Grasz wrote that there was “clearly” probable cause to arrest Lemon and four others, though he suggested the government pursue alternative avenues to obtain warrants.
At Friday’s hearing, Robbins cited an affidavit from a congregant at the St. Paul church who described the protest as “traumatic,” arguing Lemon posed a danger to the community and could feel “emboldened to commit similar acts” without strict bond conditions.
The charges against Lemon include conspiracy against rights, which prohibits groups from intimidating individuals in the exercise of religious freedom, and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which also covers places of worship. Another journalist, Georgia Fort, faces similar charges for entering the church to cover the demonstration.
The case is expected to hinge on whether Lemon’s conduct constituted legitimate newsgathering or crossed into unlawful interference. Bednarski said the proceedings would test whether Lemon’s actions were protected by the First Amendment or exceeded its boundaries.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Lemon called his arrest unconstitutional. “I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” he said. “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, adding, “I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”
Press freedom advocates have condemned the prosecution. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, called the arrests “warning shots aimed at other journalists,” arguing they rest on “bogus legal theories for obviously constitutionally protected reporting.”
The protest at the center of the case began outside a church in St. Paul and moved indoors. Lemon livestreamed the demonstration, interviewed protestors, congregants, and a pastor, and reported that a church official also worked at a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
In one heated exchange near the church entrance, a congregant told Lemon he felt “violated” by the protest and accused him of not being a journalist, ending the interview. Lemon followed the attendee out of the church, telling viewers that the man “doesn’t want to listen to facts.”
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general overseeing the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, defended the prosecution in an interview on Newsmax, stating that “journalism is not a shield when you are involved in a crime” and asserting that it is “off limits to go into a house of worship” during such demonstrations.
The case now sets up a high-profile legal clash between press freedom and religious protections, one likely to draw national scrutiny as it moves forward.
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Federal Agents arrest Don Lemon after St. Paul church protest
