Former CNN anchor and journalist Don Lemon was arrested and charged with federal civil rights violations this week in connection with his reporting on an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, igniting a national debate over press freedom and the First Amendment.
Lemon, now an independent journalist, was taken into custody Thursday night in Los Angeles while in town to cover the Grammy Awards, his attorney Abbe Lowell said. A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and eight others over the Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church, where demonstrators objected to a pastor who also heads the local field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Prosecutors allege the group conspired to interfere with the First Amendment rights of worshippers and violated federal laws designed to protect access to places of worship. Charges include conspiracy against rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a 1994 statute originally aimed at preventing violence and obstruction at abortion clinics and religious services.
Lemon was released on his own recognizance after a brief court appearance in Los Angeles and has vowed to fight the charges. His lawyer called the case an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment,” arguing that Lemon was present solely in a journalistic capacity to document the protest.
Lemon has also declared that he won’t “be silenced” in his pursuit of justice for his actions as protected under the First Amendment and journalistic ethics and standards.
The arrests also included independent journalist Georgia Fort and two protest participants; Fort livestreamed her arrest from her home.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
The case has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates, civil rights groups, and major news organizations, who warn that charging a journalist for covering a protest could usher in a chilling effect on newsgathering. Critics argue that such prosecutions blur the line between reporting and participation and could deter journalists from covering volatile events.
Justice Department officials have defended the arrests as necessary to uphold federal protections for religious freedom. Lemon’s next court date is scheduled next month in Minnesota.
Read more
about attacks on the media
