The Department of Justice’s effort to charge journalist Don Lemon with a crime after he attended a protest that interrupted a church service in Minnesota has been denied by a federal judge.
Protesters invaded a church during an anti-immigration enforcement demonstration to voice their opposition to federal immigration measures and the purported involvement of an ICE agent associated with the congregation. Lemon was present, recording events as they happened while livestreaming the demonstration.
Federal prosecutors attempted to press charges related to legislation that guards against disturbances at houses of worship. Nevertheless, the judge declined to approve the planned complaint, stating that there were now insufficient grounds to file criminal charges against Lemon.
Lemon has insisted that he did not take part in planning or directing the demonstration and that his position at the church was solely journalistic. The court’s ruling makes it evident that Lemon’s presence by itself did not satisfy the requirements for prosecution, even though some protesters participating in the incident were arrested separately.
The decision does not stop federal authorities from pursuing alternative legal options in the future, even while it stops the current charging attempt. Lemon has not yet been charged in relation to the church protest.