A Tennessee appellate court has overturned a lower court’s decision to block the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis, ruling that the group of local and state officials who filed the lawsuit lacked the legal standing to challenge the Governor’s authority.
The decision, handed down Tuesday by Judge Andy D. Bennett, effectively clears the way for the Tennessee National Guard to continue supporting the Memphis Safe Task Force, a multi-agency initiative launched by President Trump in September 2025 to combat violent crime in the city.
The case centered on a lawsuit filed by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, alongside several state legislators and local council members. They argued that Governor Bill Lee’s deployment of troops was an unlawful overreach that bypassed local authority and legislative oversight…