Pre-trial motions in the federal case against former CNN anchor Don Lemon are scheduled for April 9, two days from now [1]. Lemon was arrested on January 30 and indicted on charges of conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act after covering a protest that disrupted a worship service at a Minnesota church [2].

The FACE Act, passed in 1994 to protect reproductive health facilities from blockades and violence, is now at the center of a constitutional challenge that extends well beyond Lemon's individual case [3]. The Cato Institute has argued that applying the statute to a journalist engaged in newsgathering raises serious First Amendment concerns [3]. Lemon pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance [4].

"I will not be intimidated, I will not back down," Lemon said after his arraignment [5]. The presiding judge is now weighing whether the constitutional challenges warrant dismissal or whether the case should proceed to trial [6]. The April 9 hearing will determine the scope of evidence, the viability of the constitutional defense, and whether the trial calendar holds. Lemon faces federal civil rights charges that carry potential prison time.

-- ANNA WEBER, Berlin