A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to hand over sealed grand jury records in the criminal case against Don Lemon, a demand that could shape whether the civil-rights charges against the former CNN anchor go to trial.
U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino issued the order on Aug. 18, 2026, according to CNN. Grand jury proceedings are normally kept secret, and her order requires the Justice Department to give her — not the public — a wide set of materials for private review: prosecutor presentations, legal instructions given to jurors, witness testimony, closing arguments and juror communications. She cited defense claims of irregularities in ordering the review, but she did not state that she had found any wrongdoing.
Key facts
- Order: Judge Laura Provinzino directed the DOJ (Department of Justice) to turn over sealed grand jury materials for her private review, issued Aug. 18, 2026.
- Charges: Conspiracy against the right of religious freedom, and a violation of the FACE Act, which bars interfering with access to a church or protected site.
- Protest: The charges stem from a Jan. 18, 2026 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Defendants: 39 people charged in total, after a Feb. 27, 2026 superseding indictment added 30 more.
- Lemon’s plea: Not guilty, entered at arraignment on Feb. 13, 2026.
- Status: A defense motion to dismiss, filed Aug. 7, 2026, remains undecided.
What Lemon is charged with
Lemon was indicted by a federal grand jury in Minnesota alongside independent journalist Georgia Fort and other co-defendants, CNN and PBS NewsHour reported. All face the same charges: conspiracy against the right of religious freedom and a violation of the FACE Act, a federal law that bars interfering with access to a church or other protected site. The charges stem from a Jan. 18, 2026 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lemon was arrested in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 29, 2026. Two weeks later, on Feb. 13, 2026, he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.
Prosecutors have described the protest as a “takeover-style attack.” Lemon’s attorneys say he was present solely as a journalist, covering the demonstration and livestreaming it rather than participating in it, according to the Washington Post.
The protest followed the Jan. 7, 2026 fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent in Minneapolis. Protesters at the church chanted “ICE out” and invoked Good’s name, according to Fox News. They targeted the church over reports that its pastor also held a role with ICE — a claim that has not been independently confirmed.
Getting an indictment was not straightforward, according to CBS News:
- A federal magistrate judge first rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to charge Lemon, finding insufficient probable cause.
- Prosecutors then asked a chief judge — a more senior judge who can review a magistrate’s rulings — to reverse that decision. That request failed too.
- They appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and lost there as well.
- Only then did prosecutors secure a grand jury indictment, which CBS News reported was the government’s fourth attempt to charge Lemon.
The case widened afterward. On Feb. 27, 2026, the Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment adding 30 more defendants to the church protest case. That brought the total number of people charged to 39. Of those 30 newly charged defendants, Attorney General Pam Bondi said 25 had been arrested, according to CBS News.
Timeline
- Jan. 7, 2026 — Renee Good is fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
- Jan. 18, 2026 — A protest takes place at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Jan. 29, 2026 — Lemon is arrested in Beverly Hills, California.
- Feb. 13, 2026 — Lemon pleads not guilty at his arraignment.
- Feb. 27, 2026 — The DOJ unseals a superseding indictment adding 30 defendants, bringing the total to 39.
- Aug. 7, 2026 — Lemon’s attorneys file a motion to dismiss the charges.
- Aug. 18, 2026 — Judge Provinzino orders the DOJ to turn over sealed grand jury records.
The push to dismiss the case
On Aug. 7, 2026, Lemon’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing the prosecution was vindictive and violated his First Amendment rights. The motion points to statements by President Trump and administration officials about Lemon that predate the indictment, according to CBS News and CNN. Lemon’s attorneys argue those statements show a personal animus behind the case; prosecutors have not conceded the point.
As of August 25, 2026, that motion to dismiss has not been decided, and Provinzino’s review of the grand jury materials is still pending. Lemon has not been convicted of anything; the FACE Act and conspiracy-against-rights charges against him remain allegations that a jury has not yet heard.