(St. Paul) Former CNN anchor turned freelance journalist Don Lemon pleaded not guilty Friday to federal civil rights charges against him.
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He is accused of participating in a protest at a Minnesota church where the pastor is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
Four other people are also due to appear in this case.
Mr. Lemon made no comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse, accompanied by his lawyer, Joe Thompson.
About 20 protesters stood outside the building, chanting “Pam Bondi must go” and “Protect the press.”
PHOTO TOM BAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
People gather outside the U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn., in support of journalist Don Lemon and Nekima Levy Armstrong ahead of their hearing on February 13, 2026
Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong is also scheduled to appear Friday.
The prominent local activist was the subject of a doctored photo posted on official White House social media, falsely showing her crying during her arrest.
The image is part of a flurry of AI-altered images circulating since the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
PHOTO TOM BAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nekima Levy Armstrong speaks outside the U.S. District Courthouse in St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 13, 2026.
Mr. Lemon’s lawyer did not respond to calls seeking comment this week.
Appearances in federal court typically include entering pleas and scheduling future proceedings. Mr. Lemon has indicated that he intends to plead not guilty.
Two others charged in connection with the protest outside a Southern Baptist church in St. Paul are scheduled to appear in court next week, including another independent journalist, Georgia Fort. Nine people have been charged in this case.
Protesters disrupted a service at Cities Church on January 18 by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” in reference to the 37-year-old mother of 3 who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last month.
Mr. Lemon said he was not affiliated with the group and was there as a reporter covering the event for his live show.
“I have spent my entire career covering news. I’m not going to stop now. In fact, there is no more important time than now, at this very moment, for free and independent media to shine a light on the truth and hold leaders accountable,” Mr. Lemon told reporters after his arrest.
The demonstration in front of the church sparked strong protests from conservative religious and political leaders.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt issued a warning in a social media post.
PHOTO SAUL LOEB, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
“President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship,” she argued.
Even clergy who oppose the administration’s immigration actions have expressed unease.
The nine are being prosecuted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which prohibits interference or intimidation “by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction of any person exercising or seeking to exercise his or her First Amendment right to religious freedom in a place of worship.”
Penalties can be up to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Me Thompson is among former prosecutors who left the Minnesota federal prosecutor’s office in recent weeks, citing frustration with the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration in the state and the Justice Department’s response to Ms.me Good and Mr. Pretti.
Joe Thompson, one of four lawyers registered to represent Mr. Lemon, had led the sprawling investigation into cases of large-scale public program fraud for the district attorney’s office until his resignation last month.
The Trump administration has cited these fraud cases, in which most of the defendants are from the state’s large Somali community, to justify its immigration crackdown.
