A magistrate judge rejected federal prosecutors’ bid to charge journalist Don Lemon related to the church protest, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation. Lemon has said he has no affiliation to the organization that organized the protest and was there chronicling as a journalist. That’s called journalism.”WATCH | Protesters Disrupt Church Service in MInnesota Where ICE Official is a PastorIt wasn’t immediately clear what the Justice Department would do after the magistrate judge’s rejection. But authorities could gather more facts and return to a magistrate judge to again seek a criminal complaint or they could seek an indictment against Lemon before a grand jury.

Source: CNN January 22, 2026 18:34 UTC