Nekima Levy Armstrong, the self-identified ringleader of the Black Lives Matter coalition that took over a Christian church in St. Paul earlier this month, demanded that federal authorities hand back her cellphone, which investigators seized as evidence of the coalition’s alleged conspiracy to harass parishioners in their house of worship.
In a five-page motion, Levy Armstrong asked that the court order the federal government to return her cellphone, quash any relevant seizure warrant that was issued, and prohibit the search, examination, or extraction of data from her cellphone.
Levy Armstrong, head of the Minnesota-based Racial Justice Network, admittedly coordinated the shutdown of Cities Church, a Christian parish, during Sunday services in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, based on the belief that one of the pastors was an ICE officer.
In post-protest press appearances, Levy Armstrong acknowledged activating other organizations and activist leaders to take part in the “secret operation.”
Levy Armstrong issued a call to action across social media through an “ICE Out” flyer, which she posted on her Instagram account and on RJM’s page.
Though the publicly posted details about the protest were vague, dozens of anti-ICE agitators mobilized to carry out the “clandestine mission,” assembling in a parking lot close to the church before they barged into the sanctuary together, allegedly on Levy Armstrong’s orders.
Levy Armstrong was charged days later with “conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate” churchgoers from freely exercising their First Amendment religious rights in violation of the FACE Act, a federal law protecting houses of worship and abortion clinics.
Notably, when the Justice Department moved in last week to make arrests in connection with the Jan. 18 protest, Levy Armstrong’s cellphone was in the possession of another alleged orchestrator of the church occupation.
On the day of their arrests, federal officials found Levy Armstrong’s iPhone in the hands of jointly charged co-conspirator, Chauntyll Allen, an elected member of the St. Paul Board of Education and the founder of BLM Twin Cities.
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In this week’s court filing requesting the phone’s return, Levy Armstrong’s attorney, Jordan S. Kushner, cited due process rights and Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
“The contents of Ms. Levy Armstrong’s phone are irrelevant to the issues of whether she committed any crime when engaging in a non-violent protest at a church service on Jan. 18, 2026, as alleged in the Complaint,” Kushner countered.
Kushner then said a cellphone search would be indicative of “an openly politically motivated prosecution ordered by political officials from the top levels of government who are using this case for political purposes.”
He pointed to the Trump White House posting a digitally altered photograph of Levy Armstrong crying in handcuffs. An unedited version of the “perp walk” picture, uploaded by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, shows a stoic Levy Armstrong.
“This case is also part of the government’s legal cutting edge of its fascist offensive against the American people which currently includes an ongoing militarized federal occupation of our community which entails brutal abuses of the population up to and including murder of citizens who engage in peaceful protests,” Kushner wrote. “The government offensive further includes a deliberate effort to weaponize the court system against citizens exercising their constitutional rights to oppose this fascist regime.”
Kushner, a so-called legal observer known to assist anti-police protesters, was previously banned for a year from speaking at the University of Minnesota after he allegedly helped disrupt an Israeli political science professor’s lecture. At the time, Kushner was arrested and charged with multiple misdemeanors, including trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Levy Armstong, who was released from federal custody on Friday, is petitioning for a full hearing addressing the property return request and an immediate order temporarily halting any phone search in the interim, until the court can consider the motion.
In the event that she cannot reclaim her cellphone, Levy Armstrong, a licensed civil rights lawyer, wants the court to at least impose restrictions preventing the disclosure of privileged attorney-client communications and private matters unrelated to the criminal investigation.
“Her phone contains communications with and regarding multiple clients,” Kushner argued.
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Kushner cited case law recognizing that the court must place protections on the search of items containing such sensitive material to protect the privacy of attorney-client relationships.
“Further, the dim prospects that the phone may contain any material evidence of a crime are far outweighed in this case by the violations of her privacy and constitutional rights,” Kushner continued, “and the rights of her clients and associates which will result from the unrestricted examination and/or extraction of her phone.”