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

[PrairieWind]

If the indictment doesn't stand, will they go to a preliminary hearing? If I remember correctly, this is what the defense wanted to happen in the Bryan Kohberger case when they fought to get access to the grand jury indictment in that case and, ultimately, the judge at the time granted access to a redacted version of the indictment. The defense in that case had not wanted a grand jury indictment, rather they wanted a preliminary hearing presumably to get access to some of the witnesses. It sounds to me that in the case against Don Lemon, the defense is hoping to get the indictment and argue for the case to be thrown out based on the indictment and the case closed. But how likely is that if the indictment doesn't stand?

Good to have a lawyer on board in cases like this!


ebm for clarity

Kohberger was a state case and this is Federal. What happened in the Kohberger case was very strange in that the prosecutor originally brought charges by Information. That is common in most states, especially in the west, and then it proceeds to a preliminary hearing to establish probably cause to move on. But as it became clear that the defense was going to call witnesses at the PH, the prosecutor then convened a grand jury to indict instead, and superseded the preliminary hearing. But that isn't an option in the federal system since indictment by GJ is the only process. The GJ had found probable cause in the DL case. Now, the judge or magistrate could still dismiss via a couple of options. I would expect the DL defense to file a motion to dismiss pretty quickly here.

 

[K9Enzo]

DBM - not sure if source is approved

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Interview with Pastor Parnell and his attorney.

They basically repeat the same unfounded and false claims from the indictment. moo

 

[Sundog]

Interview with Pastor Parnell and his attorney.

They basically repeat the same unfounded and false claims from the indictment. moo

It's good to hear from a key witness in this case. Pastor Parnell will be an incredible witness to the mob behavior he describes during their worship service, and the incredibly sad and frightening description of children who put their hands up when the flash mob starts chanting with fists raised "Hands Up". Those children, and other congregants, had to be terrified.

 

[Ontario Mom]

It's good to hear from a key witness in this case. Pastor Parnell will be an incredible witness to the mob behavior he describes during their worship service, and the incredibly sad and frightening description of children who put their hands up when the flash mob starts chanting with fists raised "Hands Up". Those children, and other congregants, had to be terrified.

Every single person that entered that church that day not there for the sermon & to worship, should be in jail. All of them.

jmo

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Here's another interview about the case with my good friend Harmeet Dhillon.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Every single person that entered that church that day not there for the sermon & to worship, should be in jail. All of them.

jmo

For what crime or crimes exactly?

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

From Columbia Journalism Review,

Inside the legal defense of Georgia Fort and Don Lemon.

“You can look back at this last year and see that the administration’s attacks on the media are very much content-oriented,” Lemon’s lawyer said.

www.cjr.org

Much is at stake in the defense of Lemon and Fort, a legal battle that is really about pushing back against a broader Trump administration effort to deny First Amendment protections to any journalist or news organization accused of “bias,” which is often just code for critical coverage. Ultimately what matters in the Fort and Lemon case is not their perspective, who they spoke to, who they thanked, or who they interviewed. What matters is their intention to be present where news was being made and to share the information they obtained with the public. This is what journalists do and it is what the law protects. With the Trump administration denying this basic principle of American democracy, it will be left to the courts to hold the line.

 

[Sundog]

From Columbia Journalism Review,

Inside the legal defense of Georgia Fort and Don Lemon.

“You can look back at this last year and see that the administration’s attacks on the media are very much content-oriented,” Lemon’s lawyer said.

www.cjr.org

Much is at stake in the defense of Lemon and Fort, a legal battle that is really about pushing back against a broader Trump administration effort to deny First Amendment protections to any journalist or news organization accused of “bias,” which is often just code for critical coverage. Ultimately what matters in the Fort and Lemon case is not their perspective, who they spoke to, who they thanked, or who they interviewed. What matters is their intention to be present where news was being made and to share the information they obtained with the public. This is what journalists do and it is what the law protects. With the Trump administration denying this basic principle of American democracy, it will be left to the courts to hold the line.

This is an opinion article from their Newsletter and reads like it, what I would expect from Columbia.

jmo

 

[PrairieWind]

This is an opinion article from their Newsletter and reads like it, what I would expect from Columbia.

jmo

I had linked to an opinion piece recently and hat it removed quickly. Why is this still here?

 

[Sillybilly]

I had linked to an opinion piece recently and hat it removed quickly. Why is this still here?

Not sure why this is being asked on the public thread, but here's a refresher for all to read:

from The Rules: Etiquette & Information

"If a post has been removed, do not refer to it or discuss it further on the thread"

-and-

"BASHING WS ADMINISTRATORS and MODERATORS, and THEIR ACTIONS

Posting in a thread to comment on, challenge/question, or criticize moderator or administrator action is not allowed. Please utilize the board's Report feature or Private Message function or email to contact staff if you wish to discuss these issues"


It is still here because with only 2 Admins and 3 Mods to moderate, none of us has time to sit 24/7 in any of the thousands of threads, reading in real time, and nobody reported it until now.

Hope that clarifies.

ETA: Upon review of the article, it is an analysis by Joel Simon, the "founding director of the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism" CUNY in New York, and they collaborate with the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford in California.