An update on Justice in the case of the Minnesota church break in
By Easton Martin | January 23, 2026
Federal authorities have taken decisive action in the wake of last weekend’s disruption of a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, as the Justice Department moves to hold protesters accountable while a judge rebuffs an effort to charge a prominent journalist.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests of three individuals tied to the protest at Cities Church, where demonstrators interrupted worship to protest the church’s alleged ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly were taken into custody under federal statutes, with prosecutors citing conspiracy to interfere with constitutional rights. The Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into the disruption, emphasizing that attacks on places of worship will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors sought to charge journalist Don Lemon over his presence during the protest and livestreaming of events inside the church.
A Minnesota magistrate judge on Thursday rejected the Justice Department’s bid to bring charges against Lemon, who maintains he was there to document events and not to participate. The judge’s decision, based on “insufficient probable cause” for a criminal complaint against him, drew criticism from federal officials but upheld protections for supposed newsgathering
