Judge Blocks National Guard Deployment to Memphis, Sides With Democrats Amid Crime Surge
Judge Patricia Head Moskal issued a temporary injunction Monday blocking Tennessee Governor Bill Lee from deploying National Guard troops to Memphis, siding with local Democrats who argued the move was unauthorized and harmful to the city.
The decision halts part of a broader federal-state partnership launched under President Donald Trump’s “Memphis Safe Taskforce” initiative, which surged federal personnel into the crime-plagued city. Governor Lee had sent nearly 200 National Guard members to aid in law enforcement operations, citing Memphis’s soaring violent crime rates. But the court ruled he overstepped his authority.
“The power committed to the Governor as commander-in-chief of the Army and Militia is not unfettered,” Moskal wrote. “The Court finds that the first factor — whether the Tennessee Constitution has committed the issue of when to use the National Guard to the Governor — is not met.”
The lawsuit was filed in October by a group of Memphis-area Democrats, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. They claimed the Guard presence did not actually assist with crime reduction and was overwhelming the local justice system. Moskal sided with their argument that the deployment was increasing arrests beyond what the city’s infrastructure could handle.
According to her ruling, “The deployment is causing immediate and irreparable harm to the County by the increased number of arrests, overburdening the criminal justice system, and overcrowding jail facilities.” She added that Memphis residents “have a strong public interest in not being subjected to domestic military occupation” without proper statutory authority.
Since the taskforce’s launch, authorities reported over 2,790 arrests, 453 illegal firearms seized, and more than 300 gang members taken off the streets. Federal law enforcement agencies—more than 30 in total—remain engaged in the operation, which will continue without Guard support for now.
The ruling gives Tennessee five days to file an appeal before it takes effect.
Meanwhile, public opinion appears to back the Governor’s original decision. A Beacon Center poll earlier this month found that 63% of registered voters in Tennessee support deploying the National Guard to Memphis. Only 33% opposed the move.
Memphis continues to rank among the most violent cities in America. In 2024, one study found it had the highest violent crime rate in the country. Critics of the court’s ruling say it may handcuff law enforcement just as progress was being made.
The Lee administration has not yet announced whether it will appeal, but with rising crime and growing voter frustration, the fight over Memphis may not be over.