Recent protests involving media personality Don Lemon and other demonstrators have drawn intensified legal scrutiny following public claims circulating online that federal authorities are considering action under longstanding civil rights laws. While no court filing or indictment has been released, the controversy escalated after a widely shared social media post asserted that the Department of Justice had placed Lemon on notice in connection with an incident involving an anti-ICE protest inside a church.
The claim originated in a post by political commentator Benny Johnson, who wrote that the Justice Department had announced an intention to pursue charges under the Ku Klux Klan Act. The post described the statute as a federal law that makes it illegal to threaten, harm, or intimidate people in order to prevent them from exercising their rights. It included remarks from former federal prosecutor Harmeet Dhillon, who characterized the Klan Act as one of the most important civil rights statutes in U.S. history and argued that it can be used whenever individuals conspire to terrorize or violate the civil rights of others. Dhillon warned that members of the protest community should understand that the federal government has the authority to intervene forcefully to prevent such conduct and impose severe penalties.
As of now, the Department of Justice has not publicly confirmed that criminal charges have been filed, and no charging documents naming Don Lemon have appeared in federal court records. Legal experts caution that social media claims, even when amplified by prominent figures, do not constitute official action and must be treated as unverified unless corroborated by formal announcements or court filings.
The controversy centers on whether protest conduct crossed from protected expression into unlawful intimidation or obstruction inside a place of worship. According to reporting and publicly available footage, demonstrators entered a church during an active worship service, moved through aisles and near entrances, engaged in sustained confrontations, and directed chants and accusations at congregants and clergy. Critics argue that such conduct, if proven to be intentional and obstructive, could raise questions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a federal statute that also protects access to places of worship and prohibits the use of force, threats, or physical obstruction to interfere with religious services.
Civil liberties attorneys emphasize that the FACE Act does not criminalize protest or journalism and that peaceful expression remains protected under the First Amendment. At the same time, courts have consistently held that constitutional protections do not extend to conduct that materially disrupts religious worship, blocks access to protected spaces, or creates a reasonable fear of intimidation. Whether the actions in question meet those legal thresholds would depend on detailed factual findings and judicial review.
Some commentators have also invoked the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a Reconstruction-era civil rights law enacted to combat organized campaigns of intimidation and rights deprivation. Although the statute is historically associated with its origins, it remains in force and has been applied in modern cases involving conspiracies to interfere with constitutionally protected rights. Legal scholars note, however, that the bar for applying the law is exceptionally high and requires clear evidence of coordination, intent, and deprivation of rights.
Supporters of the protest argue that the demonstration was a form of political expression and that invoking historically charged statutes risks chilling dissent. They maintain that the allegations amount to political signaling rather than a reflection of established wrongdoing and emphasize that no court has determined that any laws were violated.
At present, no federal charges have been announced against Don Lemon or other protest participants. The matter remains at the level of public warning, legal debate, and media scrutiny rather than adjudicated fact. Legal analysts stress that any determination of liability will depend not on commentary or viral claims, but on formal investigation and the application of law by the courts.
The episode underscores the growing tension between confrontational protest tactics and federal protections for religious worship, as well as the challenges of applying historic civil rights statutes to modern political conflicts. Until federal authorities take official action or issue formal findings, the legal questions raised by the incident remain unresolved.
