Don Lemon Hires Former Minnesota U.S. Prosecutor Joseph H. Thompson
Thompson filed notice to represent Don Lemon ahead of Lemon’s Feb. 13 arraignment in St. Paul, court records show.
Overview
Joseph H. Thompson filed a notice in U.S. District Court that he will represent Don Lemon ahead of Lemon’s Feb. 13 arraignment in St. Paul, according to court records.
Thompson resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota on Jan. 13 after clashing with Justice Department leadership over whether to probe the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, records and reports show.
Prosecutors indicted Lemon on one count of conspiracy against religious freedom and one count of interfering with the free exercise of religion under the FACE Act in connection with a Jan. 18 protest at a St. Paul church, the indictment states.
Lemon was arrested by federal agents on Jan. 30 in Beverly Hills and released on his own recognizance, and Lemon and his attorneys say he was acting as an independent journalist documenting the protest, his lawyers said.
Thompson’s legal practice launch with former prosecutor Harry Jacobs follows his nearly 17-year tenure leading fraud prosecutions involving more than 90 defendants and estimated losses of about $9 billion, according to his LinkedIn and public court records.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as legal-institutional friction and procedural doubt, emphasizing DOJ turmoil and hesitation while preserving defendant defenses. Editorial choices — highlighting prosecutors' recent resignations tied to a Trump-administration dispute, using terms like “stumbling blocks,” and noting a magistrate's refusal — create skepticism about the prosecution; quoted defenses remain source content.
Sources (7)
FAQ
Don Lemon was indicted on one count of conspiracy against religious freedom and one count of interfering with the free exercise of religion under the FACE Act in connection with a Jan. 18 protest at a St. Paul church.
Joseph H. Thompson is a former U.S. prosecutor from the District of Minnesota who resigned on Jan. 13 after clashing with Justice Department leadership over whether to probe the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good; he has nearly 17 years of experience leading fraud prosecutions.
Thompson's resignation stemmed from disputes over investigating Renee Good's killing on Jan. 7; Lemon's charges relate to a Jan. 18 protest at a St. Paul church, likely in response to the incident, where he was documenting as a journalist.
On January 7, 2026, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis after she stopped her car sideways in the street; he fired three shots as her SUV moved, hitting her in the chest, forearm, and head.
Lemon was arrested by federal agents on Jan. 30 in Beverly Hills, released on his own recognizance, and is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 13 in St. Paul.
History
4 sources