Federal Agents Arrest Don Lemon Over Minnesota Church Protest; The New York Times, January 30, 2026

 Hamed Aleaziz, Devlin Barrett and Alan Feuer, The New York Times; Federal Agents Arrest Don Lemon Over Minnesota Church Protest

The former CNN anchor has said he was not demonstrating, but reporting as a journalist, during the interruption of a service inside a St. Paul church earlier this month.

"The former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday night on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., his lawyer said, in a case rejected last week by a magistrate judge.

Mr. Lemon has said he was simply reporting as a journalist when he entered the Cities Church on Jan. 18 to observe a demonstration against the immigration crackdown in the area.

The protesters interrupted a service at the church, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor, and chanted “ICE out.” Afterward, the Trump administration sought to charge eight people over the episode, including Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship.

But the magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence approved charges against only three of the people, rejecting the evidence against Mr. Lemon and the others as insufficient. The Justice Department then petitioned a federal appeals court to force the judge to issue the additional warrants, only to be denied."

National Conference on the First Amendment; Duquesne University, October 21 - October 22, 2018

"National Conference on the First Amendment

Sunday, October 21 - Monday, October 22, 2018
Duquesne University Power Center Ballroom

 

[Kip Currier: Just listened virtually (see the link at the bottom of this post!) to the National Conference on the First Amendment's Monday morning panels comprised of a diverse array of newspaper editors (New York Times, Washington Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), university presidents (Morehouse College, University of Chicago, University of Virginia), and other 1st Amendment and national security experts from government, industry, and the academy. Hearing the thoughts of these impressive thought leaders was enlightening, thought-provoking, AND energizing. I'll be blogging about some of the sessions in the near future. Hopefully, the videos of these sessions will be made available--and transcripts would be a great resource as well!]

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

- The First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The National Conference on the First Amendment: Bedrock of American Freedoms will shine a light on the critical importance of the First Amendment in a free and democratic society, to open a dialogue with Americans about the First Amendment and its central role in maintaining the viability of our democratic institutions and to help diverse audiences recognize that we, as Americans, still share foundational values. At a time when incivility and disregard for foundational principles have become the norm in our society, all Americans—regardless of ideology or politics—can find common ground in a national celebration of the First Amendment.
This conference will devote attention to all aspects of our basic freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to peaceably assemble and to government petition. The conference also will cover modern technology, social media and more. With the help of some of the best minds in the country, the conference will challenge us to rediscover the central role that the First Amendment plays in our American democracy.
Speakers and panelists include nationally known experts in journalism, politics, law, higher education and civic advocacy. For complete details, see the conference agenda.

Live Webcast

In addition, the conference will be webcast live on Oct. 21-22 for those unable to attend in person."