Appeals court rejects DoJ push to charge more people over Minnesota church protest

Setback for justice department as it pursues demonstrators, including Don Lemon who recorded protest as a journalist

A US appeals court rejected federal justice department’s bid to charge five more people accused of disrupting a Minnesota church service on 18 January, according to court documents made public on Saturday, revealing the lengths the Trump administration has gone to prosecute those involved in the demonstration.

The ruling by the eighth US circuit court of appeals is the latest legal setback for Trump’s justice department as it pursues demonstrators who interrupted a service in protest of a pastor’s apparent connection to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One judge involved in the case said the department’s request appeared to be unprecedented.