A motion for a restraining order in a lawsuit challenging the National Guard’s deployment in Memphis was denied by a judge.
A lawsuit was filed last Friday against Governor Bill Lee by a number of state and local legislators, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, challenging the Tennessee National Guard troops’ presence in Memphis.
The lawsuit, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court, seeks a temporary restraining order and injunction that would immediately halt further National Guard activity in Memphis.
They argue that Lee’s deployment violates the Tennessee Constitution and state law, citing the state Constitution, which states “the Militia shall not be called into service except in case of rebellion or invasion, and then only when the General Assembly shall declare, by law, that the public safety requires it.”
The Guard deployment was carried out at the request of President Donald Trump as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, after statistics showed Memphis had one of the highest violent crime rates in the country.
