Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from his involvement in a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official serves as a pastor. The 59-year-old journalist entered the plea in court on Friday, alongside four other defendants.
Lemon, who now works as an independent journalist, said he was covering the protest for his livestream show and was not a participant. His attorney, Abbe David Lowell, told the judge that he plans to raise First Amendment issues in the case. Lemon also issued a statement vowing to fight the “baseless charges”, accusing the Trump administration of using the legal process as punishment.
The charges relate to a protest on 18 January at a Southern Baptist church in St Paul, Minnesota, during which demonstrators chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good” in reference to a mother of three fatally shot by an ICE officer 11 days earlier. A federal grand jury indicted Lemon on counts of conspiracy and interfering with congregants’ constitutional rights to freely exercise their religion.
Outside the courthouse, around two dozen protesters held signs reading “Lemon was just doing his job” and “ICE out”. Lemon’s attorney also requested the return of his phone, seized during his arrest in Los Angeles, but prosecutors said the device was in Department of Homeland Security custody and subject to an ongoing search.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) condemned the arrests of Lemon and fellow journalist Georgia Fort as part of “the government’s escalating effort to criminalise and threaten press freedom”. Nine people have been charged in the case, with two more defendants due in court next week.
