Don Lemon Faces Civil Rights Charges Over Minnesota Church Coverage

A group protested at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18, objecting to the fact that the head of a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office also serves as a pastor. The protest drew condemnation from various officials and religious leaders.

Indictments and Legal Concerns

CNN’s Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort were arrested and indicted by a Minnesota grand jury on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers. The indictment details actions taken by the protest group during their entry into the church, including actions Lemon reported on during a livestream. Legal experts and media groups have expressed concern that these arrests could have a chilling effect on coverage of the Trump administration.

University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris noted that while charges against the protesters themselves may be legally tenable under federal law, charging journalists for their presence and reporting is troubling. He emphasized the role of journalists as a public resource for observing and reporting events.

Relevant Laws

The charges against those arrested are based on two federal laws passed over a century apart.

Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act)

The FACE Act, passed in 1994, was initially intended to protect access to abortion clinics and ensure the safety of patients, doctors, and nurses. It includes a provision addressing disruptions of worship services. While anti-abortion conservatives have criticized the law’s clinic protections, Trump pardoned individuals convicted of blocking clinics and his Justice Department scaled back FACE Act prosecutions, citing a perceived “weaponization” of the law. The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the law’s constitutionality last year. Congress attempted to repeal the FACE Act in 2025, but the effort was unsuccessful. The Justice Department has invoked the act in lawsuits against demonstrators protesting outside a synagogue. Violations can result in fines or up to one year in jail, with harsher penalties for subsequent offenses or those involving injuries, deaths, or property damage.

Conspiracy Against Rights Law

The Conspiracy Against Rights law, enacted shortly after the Civil War, was originally designed to target groups like the Ku Klux Klan and prohibit intimidating or preventing individuals from exercising their constitutional rights. It has been used in various cases, including the “Mississippi Burning” killings of civil rights workers in 1964. The law carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, or more if it involves injury, death, or destruction of property.

Defense of Press Freedom

Legal experts argue that journalists covering events should not be charged with participating in those events. Jonathan Manes, senior counsel at the MacArthur Justice Center, stated that journalists are essential for providing the public with information and should not be penalized for their reporting. He emphasized that a journalist’s presence at an event does not equate to participation in it.

AP reporters Tiffany Stanley in Washington and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.

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