Former CNN host Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his coverage of a protest last month at a church over federal immigration raids in the US state of Minnesota.
Lemon, 59, was charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedoms by allegedly obstructing someone's First Amendment rights by force.
He was arrested after entering the Cities Church in St Paul on 18 January with protesters who said one of its pastors was an immigration enforcement official.
He livestreamed the protest in an incident that resulted in charges for eight other people.
Lemon did not speak as he entered the courtroom on Friday in St Paul, where two dozen protesters were gathered to support him. Four co-defendants who were there with Lemon also pleaded not guilty.
Lemon has defended his decision to enter the church, saying he was simply carrying out his duty as an independent journalist covering a protest.
I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now, he said soon after he was arrested.
During Friday's hearing, Lemon's lawyer expressed concerns that investigators had taken Lemon's mobile phone when they arrested him in Los Angeles late last month.
Lemon and eight other co-defendants, including another journalist, have been charged with conspiracy against religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.
In the 18 January incident, protesters interrupted a service at the church by chanting ICE out and Justice for Renee Good, the mother of three who was fatally shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer last month in Minneapolis. Lemon has stated he was there as a journalist and not affiliated with the church protestors.
Footage from the incident showed a chaotic scene unfolding inside the church as protesters and members of the congregation shouted at each other.
Both Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were killed in the protests against immigration enforcement, have been named in relation to the incident, which sparked considerable media attention.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented on Lemon's arrest, emphasizing the administration's stance on protecting religious freedoms.
Lemon was fired from CNN in April 2023 after 17 years with the network, following controversial on-air comments regarding political figures.
