The Tennessee Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed a lower court’s temporary injunction blocking Governor Bill Lee from deploying the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis to assist with the Memphis Safe Task Force.
In its ruling, a three-judge panel found that all of the seven plaintiffs – including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris as well as several state and local lawmakers – lacked legal standing to bring the case.
“After considering the excellent briefs and oral arguments from by both sides, we have concluded that there is one issue that clearly resolves this case. That issue is standing,” Judge Andy D. Bennett wrote in the majority opinion, which was joined by Judges Frank G. Clement and Jeffrey Usman.
The decision effectively nullifies an earlier order from Tennessee Chancery Court Judge Patricia Head Moskal of Davidson County, who had granted a temporary injunction in November 2025. Moskal had concluded that the plaintiffs had standing and were likely to succeed on key claims, temporarily blocking deployment.
By ruling that the plaintiffs lack standing altogether, the court of appeals renders that injunction legally ineffective and removes the basis for any court-ordered halt to the National Guard’s involvement.
The ruling follows earlier federal support for the state’s position. In January, U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in filing an amicus brief backing Tennessee’s appeal, emphasizing the National Guard’s role in supporting law enforcement efforts under the federally backed Memphis Safe Task Force.
Among those who celebrated Tuesday’s ruling are State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), who hailed the court’s ruling as a victory for public safety efforts and criticized the county mayor for filing the suit.
“It turns out Litigious Lee Harris’ last-minute lame duck energy should be directed elsewhere instead of trying to subvert our attempts to tackle crime…” Taylor said.
The case now returns to the lower court without the injunction in place.
Tuesday’s ruling comes as the latest data from the U.S. Marshals Service shows that since its launch in September 2025, authorities operating under the Memphis Safe Task Force have logged more than 8,333 arrests, including 57 for homicide, 918 for controlled substances, 752 for firearms violations, and 104 for sex offenses.
Authorities report that 238 of those arrested were juveniles and 875 were known gang members, with 1,370 illegal firearms seized.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X.
Photo “Tennessee National Guard Members” by Tennessee National Guard.
