MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[Betty P]

SCOTUS said it in Branzburg, very broadly.

Face it, Lemon is squeezed.

MOO

We don't know that until it goes before a judge. Why don't we wait until then.

 

[Inthedetails]

Reminder for arraignment date, bbm:

Federal Judge Douglas Micko on [last] Wednesday ordered Lemon and Philadelphia student Jerome Richardson, who helped Lemon cover the demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, to appear at 1 p.m. (noon ET) on February 13. ...

Following arraignment, the court will set a schedule for pretrial motions Attorneys could challenge aspects of the case via motions to dismiss or to suppress evidence, based on standard federal criminal procedure.

Don Lemon handed new arraignment date by federal judge

Judge changes the date for former CNN host Don Lemon to appear in federal court.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Inthedetails]

Reminder for arraignment date, bbm:

Federal Judge Douglas Micko on [last] Wednesday ordered Lemon and Philadelphia student Jerome Richardson, who helped Lemon cover the demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, to appear at 1 p.m. (noon ET) on February 13. ...

Following arraignment, the court will set a schedule for pretrial motions Attorneys could challenge aspects of the case via motions to dismiss or to suppress evidence, based on standard federal criminal procedure.

Don Lemon handed new arraignment date by federal judge

Judge changes the date for former CNN host Don Lemon to appear in federal court.

www.newsweek.com

What happens at an arraignment in Federal court:

The defendant enters a plea to the charges brought by the U.S. attorney at a hearing known as an arraignment. The defendant is read or given a copy of the charge and is asked to plead guilty or not guilty. Typically at an arraignment, a defendant enters a plea of not guilty. The Court will then set a docket call/jury trial date in accordance with the Speedy Trial Act.

https://mie.fd.org/clients-and-families/federal-court-process

 

[witchway]

dbm

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

SCOTUS said it in Branzburg, very broadly.

Face it, Lemon is squeezed.

MOO

Bookmarking for reply at a later date.

 

[Inthedetails]

District chief judge Schiltz (Bush appointee) was asked by the DOJ to rule on a previous judge's denial of the case. In response, he wrote, bbm:


The government lumps all eight protestors together and says things that are true of some but not all of them. Two of the five protestors were not protestors at all; instead, they were a journalist and his producer. There is no evidence that those two engaged in any criminal behavior or conspired to do so. ....

The government does not explain why the arrests of five more people – one of whom is a journalist and the other his producer – would make Cities Church any safer...

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca8.113669/gov.uscourts.ca8.113669.00805439055.0.pdf

p.s. This comment is about the case against Don Lemon, not the protestors.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Bookmarking for reply at a later date.

Thank you, I will be doing the sane thing.

 

[Inthedetails]

Minnesota Court Rules: Professional Conduct. bbm

Rule 3.6: Trial Publicity

A lawyer who is participating or has participated in the investigation or litigation of a criminal matter shall not make an extrajudicial statement about the matter that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing a jury trial in a pending criminal matter.



Despite the clear rules of conduct, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon re-posted on a public platform a comment that included, "Nobody is above the law. Especially not today's klansmen-like Don Lemon-who storm churches and terrorize Christians."

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Minnesota Court Rules: Professional Conduct. bbm

Rule 3.6: Trial Publicity

A lawyer who is participating or has participated in the investigation or litigation of a criminal matter shall not make an extrajudicial statement about the matter that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing a jury trial in a pending criminal matter.



Despite the clear rules of conduct, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon re-posted on a public platform a comment that included, "Nobody is above the law. Especially not today's klansmen-like Don Lemon-who storm churches and terrorize Christians."

View attachment 644003

That is actually in the indictment, as to storming a church. The law was originally directed at the KKK.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

We don't know that until it goes before a judge. Why don't we wait until then.

Because no one else is.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Take note,

'Demonic,” “Godless,” “Un-American:” Harmeet Dhillon’s Own Misconduct Will Be an Issue in Don Lemon Case'​

"Demonic," "Godless," "Un-American:" Harmeet Dhillon's Own Misconduct Will Be an Issue in Don Lemon Case - emptywheel

Among the many insane things Harmeet Dhillon did in the fortnight before her office charged Don Lemon after two judges said there was not probable cause against him was to platform tweets betting on the outcome of the investigation.

emptywheel.net

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Take note,

'Demonic,” “Godless,” “Un-American:” Harmeet Dhillon’s Own Misconduct Will Be an Issue in Don Lemon Case'​

"Demonic," "Godless," "Un-American:" Harmeet Dhillon's Own Misconduct Will Be an Issue in Don Lemon Case - emptywheel

Among the many insane things Harmeet Dhillon did in the fortnight before her office charged Don Lemon after two judges said there was not probable cause against him was to platform tweets betting on the outcome of the investigation.

emptywheel.net

View attachment 644041

I am not certain that a retweet would constitute a statement. Further, the storms churches, et c. is part of the public indictment.

MOO

 

[Inthedetails]

Take note,

'Demonic,” “Godless,” “Un-American:” Harmeet Dhillon’s Own Misconduct Will Be an Issue in Don Lemon Case'​

"Demonic," "Godless," "Un-American:" Harmeet Dhillon's Own Misconduct Will Be an Issue in Don Lemon Case - emptywheel

Among the many insane things Harmeet Dhillon did in the fortnight before her office charged Don Lemon after two judges said there was not probable cause against him was to platform tweets betting on the outcome of the investigation.

emptywheel.net

View attachment 644041

Almost like they want to tank it from the start. Interesting tactic.

jmopinion

 

[Izzylizzy]

Harmeet Kaur Dhillon (born 1969) is an Indian-American lawyer and Republican Party official serving as the U.S. assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division since 2025

Harmeet Dhillon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Izzylizzy]

I am not certain that a retweet would constitute a statement. Further, the storms churches, et c. is part of the public indictment.

MOO

Lots more that one re-tweet.
Harmeet Kaur Dhillon went on a social media tour which I gather Abbe Lowell is on top of.
It's all detailed in the article.
imo




Among the things Harmeet did in her blitz was:

• Attacked both Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko and Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz
• Falsely claimed that the entire Eighth Circuit panel had found probable cause for the indictment
• Disseminated false claims about what happened at the protest
• Disseminated the White House generated AI slop that darkened Nekima Levy Armstrong’s skin and falsely depicting her crying
• Called the protestors “demonic,” “godless,” and “anti-American”
• Platformed comments calling the defendants inflammatory terms (including terrorist)
• Told Megyn Kelly she would pursue Don Lemon “to the end of the earth”
• Platformed tweets talking about betting on the outcome of the investigation
• Made it clear that she was taking these steps to prove her (and Bondi’s) mettle to the “black-pilled” further right
• Tweeted Republican politicians calling for charges

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Lots more that one re-tweet.
Harmeet Kaur Dhillon went on a social media tour which I gather Abbe Lowell is on top of.
It's all contained in the article.

What has been cited here does not. Discussing what is in a public indictment is not "materially prejudicing a jury trial in a pending criminal matter." Saying something like "Lemon beats his dog" would be, because he is not charged with that, for example.

 

[Inthedetails]

Lots more that one re-tweet.
Harmeet Kaur Dhillon went on a social media tour which I gather Abbe Lowell is on top of.
It's all detailed in the article.




Among the things Harmeet did in her blitz was:

• Attacked both Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko and Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz
• Falsely claimed that the entire Eighth Circuit panel had found probable cause for the indictment
• Disseminated false claims about what happened at the protest
• Disseminated the White House generated AI slop that darkened Nekima Levy Armstrong’s skin and falsely depicting her crying
• Called the protestors “demonic,” “godless,” and “anti-American”
• Platformed comments calling the defendants inflammatory terms (including terrorist)
• Told Megyn Kelly she would pursue Don Lemon “to the end of the earth”
• Platformed tweets talking about betting on the outcome of the investigation
• Made it clear that she was taking these steps to prove her (and Bondi’s) mettle to the “black-pilled” further right
• Tweeted Republican politicians calling for charges

I don't know if she wants to cause problems at the trial or simply lower standards in the public to accept this behavior - and even get the public to defend it.

jmopinion

 

[Izzylizzy]

Almost like they want to tank it from the start. Interesting tactic.

jmopinion

Curious what DOJ lawyers will be in court on Friday?

 

[Izzylizzy]

I don't know if she wants to cause problems at the trial or simply lower standards in the public to accept this behavior - and even get the public to defend it.

jmopinion

Anna Bower​

A favorite of mine.

'When Life Gives You Lemons': A Minnesota Case Study in How the Trump Administration Warps Justice

The bizarre saga that unfolded in the weeks leading up to Don Lemon’s indictment illustrates just how far the Justice Department has fallen.

www.lawfaremedia.org