The Department of Justice has reportedly withdrawn its request for an arrest warrant against former CNN anchor Don Lemon in connection with a disruptive protest at a Minneapolis-area church, though the legal jeopardy surrounding the incident has not fully disappeared.
According to a report from CNN, federal prosecutors pulled back their effort to charge Lemon and four others after a judge rejected criminal complaints related to their entry into Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 19 while a worship service was underway. The judge declined to approve the complaints, effectively halting that initial attempt to bring charges.
Despite that development, the matter may not be over. As CNN noted, the Justice Department could still pursue other legal avenues, including seeking a grand jury indictment, since the broader investigation remains active. The DOJ has not publicly commented on whether it plans to take additional steps.
Lemon has insisted that he entered the church strictly in his role as a journalist. He has said he was there to observe and document events as a group confronted Pastor David Easterwood, who was reported to have ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lemon livestreamed the incident on his YouTube channel, a move he has cited as evidence that he was acting in a media capacity rather than as a protest organizer.
The episode quickly drew national attention and political reaction. President Donald Trump publicly called for Lemon’s arrest in the aftermath of the protest, amplifying scrutiny of the former television host’s actions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi later announced the arrests of several individuals connected to the church disruption, including attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong, St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Scott Kelly. Lemon, however, was not among those taken into custody.
Levy-Armstrong, Allen, and Kelly were accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, commonly known as the FACE Act, a federal statute that also covers interference with religious worship. Prosecutors alleged that the individuals unlawfully disrupted the church service, prompting the arrests.
Lemon’s legal status took another turn when a federal magistrate judge refused to sign a complaint bringing charges against him, according to CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane. That decision reinforced the pause in immediate enforcement action against Lemon, even as others involved faced charges.
Still, Lemon himself has acknowledged that the situation may not be resolved. On his podcast last week, he predicted that prosecutors would likely “try again” to charge him over the church protest. He suggested that the government remains determined to pursue a case and that he is preparing for the possibility of renewed legal action.
The contrast between the arrests of protest organizers and the DOJ’s decision, at least for now, not to move forward against Lemon has fueled debate over selective enforcement and the limits of press protections. Lemon continues to argue that his conduct was protected under the First Amendment, while critics maintain that entering a church service to confront a pastor crosses a legal and moral line regardless of media credentials.
For now, the DOJ’s withdrawal of the arrest warrant request represents a temporary reprieve for Lemon, not a definitive exoneration. With the investigation still open and prosecutors retaining the option of a grand jury, the former CNN anchor’s legal uncertainty appears far from settled.
