National Guard Can Stay in Memphis, State Appeals Court Says
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- A Tennessee appeals court ruled that National Guard troops can continue patrolling Memphis as part of a federal task force aimed at combating crime, reversing a lower-court decision that had challenged the deployment.
- Tennessee lawmakers had argued that Governor Bill Lee overstepped his constitutional authority by sending the National Guard to Memphis, but the appeals court found that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to challenge the deployment.
- The court did not address the constitutional question of the governor’s authority, focusing instead on the procedural issue of standing.
- Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti praised the ruling as a victory for Memphis and Tennessee, emphasizing that policy disputes should be resolved through elections rather than the courts.
- The deployment is part of a broader Trump administration effort to send National Guard troops to cities with high crime rates, although many such deployments have been scaled back following legal challenges in states with Democratic governors.
