Don Lemon asks judge to dismiss ‘vindictive’ charges tied to Minnesota church protest
His lawyers say the charges would chill critical reporting and are legally deficient, citing Trump’s hostility and the First Amendment.
- On Friday, journalist Don Lemon asked a federal judge in Minnesota to dismiss his criminal indictment, arguing the charges represent a vindictive prosecution that violates the First Amendment.
- Federal agents arrested Lemon in Los Angeles earlier this year while he was covering the Grammy Awards, charging him with violating the FACE Act during an anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul.
- Lemon's legal team, led by Abbe Lowell, contends the Justice Department acted on President Trump's animus, noting the case agent falsely claimed in sworn affidavits that the journalist was "chanting with agitators" inside the church.
- Instead of arranging a voluntary surrender as requested, the Justice Department arrested Lemon at midnight in Los Angeles, which his lawyers described as an effort to "punish and humiliate" the journalist.
- The motion warns that prosecuting journalists for covering protests would "chill large swaths of critical reporting," highlighting concerns that follow nearly a decade of public attacks on Lemon by President Trump.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Don Lemon challenges constitutionality of FACE Act in legal defense of church protest charges
Independent journalist Don Lemon is challenging the constitutionality of a law underlying federal charges against him stemming from a protest against an immigration official inside a St. Paul church. If Lemon prevails, the ruling could have far-reaching consequences for a law aimed at protecting access to abortion clinics and houses of worship. Lemon, a former […]
Don Lemon, Georgia Fort seek dismissal of charges tied to St. Paul church protest
Don Lemon and Georgia Fort are asking a federal court to dismiss charges stemming from their coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church, arguing the prosecutions violate their rights and are politically motivated.
'Decade' of Trump attacks recoil on Todd Blanche as Don Lemon case faces dismissal
Nearly a decade of President Donald Trump's attacks on journalist Don Lemon have recoiled on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, as Lemon's lawyers moved to throw out his criminal case.Lemon was charged in January with two felony civil rights counts after he livestreamed an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest inside a St. Paul, Minnesota church. He has pleaded not guilty, according to CNN.The motion, filed Friday in federal court …
Don Lemon Wants Criminal Charges Against Him Related to Minnesota ICE Protest Dropped, Citing Donald Trump’s Chronic ‘Animus’ Toward Journalist
Don Lemon asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal civil-rights charges against him related to his presence as a protest earlier this year at an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota. In a filing Friday, the former CNN anchor’s lawyers asserted the indictment of Lemon stemmed from Donald Trump’s longstanding “animus” toward Lemon and violated the First […]
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