BUZZ
‘Basically a war on journalists that are trying to gather information and provide it to the public’
A trio of Minnesota university law professors says the arrests of former CNN pundit Don Lemon and a local journalist for “documenting” the disruption at a recent church service represent an “attack on a free press.”
Lemon and Georgia Fort were indicted last week by a federal grand jury for their alleged role in a January 18 anti-ICE protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul, The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lemon was charged with “allegations of conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights” and violations of the FACE Act, according to Fox News.
The FACE Act, which the Biden administration used overwhelmingly against pro-life protesters, also “prohibits the use of force, intimidation, or obstruction to deliberately ‘injure, intimidate, or interfere’ with an individual’s ability to exercise their right to religious freedom at a place of worship.”
The professors highlighted how the act “has historically only been used to prosecute” those who “restricted” access to “reproductive health facilities” — and had never been utilized against a journalist.
Professor Julie Jonas of the University of St. Thomas said the arrests of Lemon and Fort were “absolutely an attack on the press.”
“[T]he [Trump] administration is basically saying is that you can’t report on this unless we approve of what you’re reporting on,” Jonas, the former legal director of the Great North Innocence Project, said. “They are trying to chill journalistic endeavors, and they’re successful in many ways.”
Jonas questioned use of the FACE Act, saying “the language that we’re talking about is physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates, or interfere with someone. And I assume, as journalists, [Lemon and Fort] did none of those things” (emphasis added).
U. Minnesota’s Jane Kirtley said the Cities Church protest was “a legitimate, newsworthy thing to cover,” and called the Dept. of Justice’s actions “basically a war on journalists that are trying to gather information and provide it to the public.”
Hamline University’s David Schultz added “he didn’t see anything that approached, ‘threats, force or intimidation’” with regards to Lemon’s actions.
According to Fox News’ David Marcus however, Lemon “can be seen outside, on video he took himself, telling his viewers the ‘operation [protest] is a secret,’ adding, ‘I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, but you’re going to watch it live.'”
“Every churchgoer Lemon interviewed, including the pastor trying to tend to his flock in an emergency, was given the third degree about the supposedly evil actions of ICE, while Lemon’s resistance compatriots were not challenged on their disruption,” Marcus said.
Fox News’ Gregg Jarrett added that based on available video, Lemon “knew of the protesters’ plan to barge into the church,” “handed out donuts and coffee to the demonstrators,” and “vowed to accompany them on their ‘Operation Pull-Up.'”
Lemon also lectured the church’s pastor “there’s such a thing as a Constitution and a First Amendment,” seemingly ignorant that churches are not public venues but private property: “Even assuming that Lemon acted as a journalist, he still committed a criminal trespass.”
Said Jarrett: “Journalists, however defined, cannot, without legal consequences engage in incitement, defamation, obscenity, threatened violence, national security breaches, and the commission of crimes.”
Last night at pre-Grammy Awards party, Lemon was given a standing ovation by the crowd:
Hollywood music industry gives standing ovation to Don Lemon at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy gala, following his arrest for storming a church. pic.twitter.com/fY3eUOAZ6V
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) February 1, 2026
If convicted, Lemon could face up to year in prison. He told Fox News he “would fight the charges ‘vigorously and thoroughly.'”
MORE: CU Boulder suspends student journalist for covering protest without permission
