The Trump administration is pushing a criminal case that tests the Constitution's freedom of the press guarantee. Independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, along with two other people, are accused of breaking federal laws during a church protest in St. Paul, Minn. They're charged with conspiring to deprive congregants of their rights and interfering with religious freedom in a house of worship.

Lemon, a former CNN anchor, and Fort livestreamed the demonstration on YouTube. Lemon, who also posted coverage on Substack, said he was tipped off about the Jan. 18 event, but didn't know it would disrupt the service. The government claims Lemon and Fort were protest participants. They and two activists who entered the church are accused of trying to intimidate worshippers and the clergyman, who is a field director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. His church reportedly endorses white nationalist sentiments.

After three federal judges declined to authorize arrest warrants, prosecutors obtained an indictment (pronounced inn-DIGHT-ment from a citizens grand jury. The move crosses a line that the government had observed. "Prior administrations avoided virtually anything that smacked of interference with the First Amendment when it came to the press," posts Joyce Vance, a law professor who was a federal prosecutor during President Barack Obama's two terms. "That's another norm shattered by this administration." The state's Democratic attorney general, Keith Ellison, says: "In Minnesota, we do not treat journalists like criminals for doing their jobs. No one should be arrested merely for holding a camera, asking hard questions, or telling the public what we have a right to know. The First Amendment protects both the right of journalists to gather and report information without fear of retaliation and the right of the people to receive that information."

Fort, an award-winning local journalist with professional broadcast experience, sees the charges as part of a "strategic attack on the free press." The Jan. 30 arrests came two weeks after FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter's home and seized electronic devices in inquiry tied to a classified materials case, another extreme step. Lemon says: "I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now. . . . I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court." During his livestream, Lemon interviewed four parishioners and five protesters. He identified himself as a journalist and said: "I'm just going to be as respectful as possible. I'm not here to intimidate anybody. I'm just here to chronicle and get some answers." He was inside about 45 minutes and left seven minutes after being asked.

U.S. attorney general says: "Under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely. ... If you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you." – Pam Bondi

Lemon's lawyer says: "Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done. The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable." – Abbe Lowell of Washington, D.C.

Senator says: "Journalism is not a crime. The Justice Department should investigate the federal agents who killed U.S. citizens in broad daylight, not arrest reporters. . . . It's a spine-chilling assault on press freedom and threatens the public's right to know.” – Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.