Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the FACE Act was intended to protect access to reproductive health services and should not be stretched to cover a protest inside a church. Federal officials are reviewing whether protesters who disrupted services at Cities Church in St. Paul may have violated the FACE Act or the Ku Klux Klan Act. Don Lemon, who reported from the scene, defends his coverage and says he has received violent threats and slurs online. A conservative commentator warned Lemon he was "on notice," and the DOJ review continues as authorities weigh legal options.
Ellison Rejects FACE Act Claims Over St. Paul Church Protest as DOJ Reviews Possible Charges
Anti-ICE protesters targeted the Cities Church in Minneapolis on Sunday, shouting down churchgoers in the middle of services.(Fox News)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison pushed back against assertions that anti-ICE protesters — and journalist Don Lemon, who reported from the scene — violated the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act after demonstrators entered Cities Church in St. Paul over the weekend.
Federal prosecutors have said they are reviewing whether the activists who disrupted services on Sunday may have broken the FACE Act or the Ku Klux Klan Act, both of which can carry serious criminal penalties when applied to certain types of interference with civil rights or protected activities.
What the Laws Say
FACE Act: The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act makes it a federal offense to use or threaten force to "injure, intimidate, or interfere" with someone seeking reproductive health services, and it also protects individuals lawfully exercising their right to religious freedom at places of worship. The statute additionally bars intentional property damage to reproductive health facilities and places of worship.
Ku Klux Klan Act: This federal law criminalizes conspiracies or actions by individuals that deprive others of their civil rights, historically rooted in post-Civil War protections.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison argued the anti-ICE protesters did not violate the FACE Act as the DOJ mulls pressing charges.
Ellison's Response
"The FACE Act, by the way, is designed to protect the rights of people seeking reproductive rights... so that people for a religious reason cannot just use religion to break into women's reproductive health centers," Ellison said on former CNN host Don Lemon's YouTube program. "How they are stretching either of these laws to apply to people who protested in a church over the behavior of a religious leader is beyond me."
Contested Roles and Reactions
Don Lemon provided embedded reporting from Cities Church, documenting the chaotic disruption of the service. Lemon says his actions were journalistic and protected by the First Amendment. In a statement to Fox News Digital, he said it was notable he was cast as the face of the protest despite not being the only reporter present, and condemned the "barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs" he has received online.
On social media, Harmeet Dhillon — a conservative attorney who has publicly criticized Lemon's coverage — wrote on X that a house of worship "is not a public forum for your protest" and warned that federal law protects worship spaces from such disruptions. "Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service," she added, saying Lemon was "on notice."
Ellison and federal officials appear to disagree on whether the FACE Act or the Ku Klux Klan Act fit the facts of this disruption. The DOJ's review signals that prosecutors are weighing legal standards, context and intent before deciding whether charges are warranted.
Broader Context
Participants in the protest say they were driven to action by concerns related to the death of Renee Nicole Good, an issue Lemon referenced as the motivating factor behind the demonstrations. Lemon urged critics to focus investigative energy on that case rather than on his reporting.
The situation reflects ongoing tensions over the limits of protest, religious sanctuary, journalistic access and the federal statutes used to protect civil and reproductive rights. As the DOJ continues its review, both legal experts and local leaders will be watching how prosecutors interpret and, if warranted, apply these federal laws to disruptions at houses of worship.
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