In a legal showdown that has significant implications for the deployment of National Guard units in urban law enforcement, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant has thrown his weight behind the State of Tennessee. On January 16, Dunavant, alongside assistant attorney general Brett A. Shumate, filed an amicus brief supporting the state’s appeal in a highly divisive lawsuit over the governor's decision to use the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis. This appeal is set against the backdrop of Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and several lawmakers' challenge to Governor Lee's action.
Initially, a Chancery Court ruling issued a temporary injunction against the governor's deployment orders but stayed it as the state sought appeal. The United States has now asserted its interest in the outcome of this case, which opposes the trial court’s decision obstructing President Trump's bid to mobilize the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Tennessee. The Court of Appeals is hastening the pace, with oral arguments scheduled for March 5, 2026.
Accolades for the National Guard's role in the Memphis Safe Task Force have flown from federal officials down to local leadership. Tasked with tamping down the city's violent crime surge, their efforts, as U.S. Attorney Dunavant highlighted, have already yielded thousands of arrests and a significant dip in the city's crime figures.
"One of President Trump’s top priorities is restoring law and order in cities plagued by violent crime, and the Tennessee National Guard has played a critical role in the unprecedented success of the Memphis Safe Task Force," Dunavant said in a declaration that bolsters the narrative of substantial federal interest in the legal proceedings, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office website. Advocates for the governor's measures warn that should the injunction stand, the operational capacity of the Memphis Task Force could suffer a consequential blow.
