The National Guard patrols in the Beale Street entertainment district in downtown Memphis on Oct. 27, 2025. On Monday, A Nashville judge temporarllly blocked the Guard’s deployment to Memphis, a decision Gov. Bill Lee says he plans to appeal. (Photo: Karen Pulfer Focht/Tennessee Lookout)
Democratic officials who sued Gov. Bill Lee over his decision to send the National Guard to Memphis praised a judge’s order to temporarily block the deployment, but warned there was “a mighty ways to go” before the city may see an end to the military presence.
Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal ruled Monday that the governor had exceeded his authority in unilaterally deploying the Guard to Memphis as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force established by President Donald Trump…