MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee court has temporarily blocked Gov. Bill Lee’s order deploying the National Guard to Memphis, pausing a crime-crackdown initiative launched by President Trump and supported by state leadership. The ruling, issued by Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal, came in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of Democratic state and local officials who argued the governor acted outside his legal authority.
Moskal wrote that a Tennessee governor may activate the Guard only in cases of invasion, insurrection, riot, or other grave emergencies that involve violence or imminent danger. The court found those conditions were not met, concluding that Lee exceeded his statutory powers when he moved to send Guard troops into the city. Although the ruling currently halts the deployment, Moskal granted the state five days to appeal.
The lawsuit was brought by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Memphis City Councilmember JB Smiley Jr., State Reps. G.A. Hardaway and Gabby Salinas, and State Sen. Jeff Yarbro. Advocacy group Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said Trump’s broader effort to “militarize our cities” is unlawful. The Trump administration itself is not named in the suit.
The deployment was tied to a memorandum Trump signed in September at the White House alongside Lee, calling for “restoring law and order in Memphis.” State officials, including Lee and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, did not respond to requests for comment. For now, the order remains blocked as the state’s appeal window approaches.
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