The BareStory
Journalist Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles on Thursday night in connection with a January 18 protest that disrupted a service at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, and Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrest, which occurred while Lemon was in California covering the Grammy Awards. Three other individuals were also detained overnight, bringing the total number of arrests linked to the incident to seven.
Attorney General Bondi stated that the arrests were part of an investigation into a "coordinated attack" on Cities Church. According to sources briefed on the matter, Lemon faces charges of conspiracy to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate, or interfere with a person trying to obtain or provide reproductive health services or to exercise their First Amendment right of religious freedom. The protest, described as an anti-ICE demonstration, involved activists entering the church and chanting slogans.
Lemon’s legal team characterized the arrest as an "unprecedented attack on the First Amendment." Lowell asserted that Lemon was performing constitutionally protected work as a journalist at the time of the incident and promised to vigorously fight the charges. Lemon has previously claimed he was an impartial observer documenting the protest and did not know the group's specific destination, though he acknowledged in earlier statements that he withheld details from his broadcast to preserve the "surprise."
The arrests follow a series of legal setbacks for federal prosecutors. A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota previously rejected arrest warrants for Lemon and other defendants, citing a lack of probable cause. Additionally, a federal appellate court recently declined a Department of Justice bid to compel a lower court judge to sign the warrants. Prosecutors reportedly view video footage Lemon filmed of a pre-protest meeting as evidence of a conspiracy, while Lemon’s defense maintains he was filming as part of his reporting duties.
How it may affect me
As a U.S. reader:
• This legal battle may define the boundary between protected journalism and criminal conspiracy, specifically regarding reporters who document planned disruptions while withholding details from the public.
• The application of the FACE Act in this context indicates federal authorities may increasingly prosecute protests affecting religious services, broadening the law's typical association with reproductive health.
• Future federal prosecutions may face stricter judicial scrutiny regarding probable cause, as courts previously rejected arrest warrants in this investigation before the recent detention occurred.
