Federal Grand Jury Indicts Don Lemon Over Cities Church Protest
A two-count indictment charges Don Lemon with conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act violation for the Jan. 18, 2026, Cities Church protest.
Overview
A federal grand jury unsealed a two-count indictment on Feb. 1, 2026, charging Don Lemon with conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act violation over the Jan. 18, 2026 Cities Church protest, court documents show.
Prosecutors allege Lemon attended a pre-op briefing, livestreamed and helped coordinate a 'takeover-style' interruption that intimidated congregants, while Lemon and Minnesota independent journalist Georgia Fort said they were covering the event as journalists, records show.
Abbe Lowell, Don Lemon's attorney, said in a statement that Lemon's actions were constitutionally protected journalism and called the arrest "an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment," officials confirmed.
The 14-page indictment names multiple co-defendants, follows related complaints charging seven people and cites statutes carrying penalties up to one year under the FACE Act and up to 10 years for conspiracy, records show.
Don Lemon is scheduled to appear in U.S. federal court on Feb. 9, 2026, and defense attorneys said they will file motions challenging probable cause and statutory application with additional sealed filings expected.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a threat to press freedom by foregrounding judicial findings of lack of evidence, highlighting legal experts' warnings about a chilling effect, privileging journalists' accounts, and structuring detailed statutory background to contrast prosecutions with First Amendment concerns.
Sources (97)
FAQ
The FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) prohibits interfering with religious worship services, among other protected activities. It applies here as prosecutors charge Don Lemon with a violation for participating in a protest that interrupted a church service, carrying penalties up to one year for a first offense.[2]
Don Lemon faces a two-count federal indictment: conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act violation, stemming from a 'takeover-style' interruption of the Cities Church service on January 18, 2026, with potential penalties up to 10 years for conspiracy and 1 year for FACE Act.
The protest interrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, because the pastor also serves as head of a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, with anti-ICE demonstrators opposing this.
Don Lemon and his attorney Abbe Lowell argue his actions were constitutionally protected journalism, as he was covering the event, attended no pre-op briefing for disruption, and simply followed protesters inside to report.
Don Lemon is scheduled to appear in U.S. federal court on February 9, 2026, where defense attorneys plan to challenge probable cause and the statutes' application.
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