Tennessee governor to keep National Guard in Memphis while state appeals ruling

Source: AP

Updated 5:43 PM EST, November 18, 2025


MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee National Guard will keep supporting a crime-fighting task force ordered by President Donald Trump in Memphis after a judge blocked the troops from operating in the city, but she kept the ruling paused while the state appeals, Gov. Bill Lee’s office said Tuesday.

Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal issued the order Monday as part of a lawsuit filed by Democratic state and local officials who contend that the Republican governor cannot deploy the Tennessee National Guard for civil unrest unless there is rebellion or invasion. Even then, they argue, it would require a request by local officials amid a ”breakdown of law and order” and action by Tennessee lawmakers, according to state laws cited by the plaintiffs.

The judge concluded that the governor’s power as commander-in-chief of the National Guard “is not unfettered.” ’“There is no rebellion or invasion currently taking place in Memphis,” the judge wrote.

However, the judge put the order on hold for at least five days, so that the government has time to file an “immediate application for permission to appeal,” without providing her reasoning for that timeline.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/memphis-national-guard-trump-6cd1a6887b318d2889b7d1225022f868