Tennessee
TN Court of Appeals says National Guard can remain deployed in Memphis
Bill Lee discuss National Guard deployment, gives message to Memphians
Gov. Bill Lee gives details on the upcoming deployment of National Guard troops and other state and national resources to Memphis to combat crime.
The Tennessee Court of Appeals will allow the National Guard to remain in Memphis after a recent court opinion.
In an opinion issued April 28, three Tennessee Court of Appeals judges ruled that the National Guard deployment by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in October 2025 can stay because the plaintiffs do not have standing to block the deployment.
The appellate ruling sends the case back to Davidson County Chancery Court for continued litigation, and found the group of Democratic lawmakers bringing the case did not have standing to sue.
According to the written opinion, judges cite a lack of standing from the plaintiffs to bring the lawsuit.
Plaintiffs Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley, Jr., Shelby County Commissioners Erika Sugarmon and Henri Brooks, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, State Reps. GA Hardaway and Gabby Salinas, and State Sen. Jeff Yarbro sued to block the deployment on Oct. 17.
Yarbro is from Nashville and is the only non-Shelby County official listed as a plaintiff.
“Our conclusion is not that no one has standing. It is, instead, that these individuals lack standing,” the opinion said.
The opinion reverses Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal injunction, which temporarily ordered the National Guard be withdrawn from Memphis, issued on Nov. 17, 2025.
On March 5, a panel of three judges from the Tennessee Court of Appeals heard arguments about the constitutionality of Lee’s deployment of the National Guard to Memphis.
The Tennessee Attorney General’s office filed the appeal weeks after Moskal granted a temporary injunction against the National Guard deployment. If that injunction were to go into effect, the guard would be withdrawn from Memphis pending the final ruling in the case.
Three questions were brought by the state to the appeal: whether plaintiffs invoked an available waiver of the government’s immunity (known as sovereign immunity) from being sued, if they have standing and if Lee violated state law in deploying the National Guard to Memphis.
Lack of standing from plaintiffs
The opinion did not rule whether Lee’s deployment of the National Guard to Memphis was legal, but instead held that the individuals who brought the lawsuit do not have proper standing to do so.
Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Andy D. Bennett wrote the opinion of the Court, which Judges Frank Clement Jr. and Jeffrey Usman signed on to. In their opinion, they state that the opinion of the court is not that no one has standing to bring the lawsuit, just that the legislators who did so lack standing.
In essence, the appellate ruling focused on the barrier to entry for suing and not the constitutionality of deploying the National Guard to Memphis.
According to the court, individual state legislators cannot bring an action against the government unless authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly. It also found that Lee’s decision to deploy the National Guard, stripping them of their right to vote on the issue, counted as “diffuse injuries to legislative bodies, not personal injuries of the individual legislators.”
“To the extent that there is a cognizable injury, any injury in not voting upon or debating the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard is shared equally by the other members of the respective legislative bodies. This is problematic for the legislative plaintiffs’ position because, as noted above, ‘individual members lack standing to assert the institutional interests of a legislature,’” the court found.
The same reasoning was applied locally to the members of the Shelby County Commission and Memphis City Council.
As to Harris’ involvement, the court found that any injuries to him or his office would instead be “purported injuries to Shelby County.”
“For example, he notes financial strains upon the county budget stemming from the National Guard’s presence. Mayor Harris is not the county itself, and he does not assert that the Shelby County Charter confers upon him the authority to file lawsuits on behalf of Shelby County. Absent such authority he has no ability to bring suit on behalf of Shelby County. In fact, the plaintiffs expressly indicate in their briefing on appeal that ‘Mayor Harris… is not purporting to proceed on behalf of Shelby County, but rather, is vindicating executive prerogatives that are vested exclusively in his office.’ Accordingly, while injuries to Shelby County could potentially provide a basis for asserting that the county itself has been injured, injuries to the county are not a basis for providing standing for Mayor Harris,” the court wrote.
Despite reversing Moskal’s decision on the temporary injunction, the appellate court said it is possible that someone does have standing to bring the case, just not the ones currently named as plaintiffs.
Brooke Muckerman is the education and children’s issues and politics reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
The City of Franklin has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2026 honor by Tennessean. This list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures the employee experience and its component themes, including employees feeling respected and supported, enabled to grow, and empowered to, to name a few. City honored with Top Workplace in 2023 as well.
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More than 90% of employees participated in the survey. The results showed that 88% believe their teams work well together, 88% are satisfied with their jobs, and 83% feel they are part of something meaningful. Those numbers matter because communities are strongest when the people serving them care about the work they do. When teams work well together, projects move forward. When employees find purpose in their jobs, they look for solutions. When people believe their work matters, residents often experience better service, stronger connections, and a community that continues moving forward while holding on to what makes it special.
“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”
“Having a great positive workplace culture is one of our highest priorities of our City leadership team,” said Eric Stuckey. “Our employees are the most valuable assets we have in the city and their exceptional service to the community is well appreciated by our community. I am genuinely proud to lead a team of this caliber that delivers for the citizens of Franklin every day. We have some of the finest public servants in the nation”
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The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 7 drawing
Evening: 8-2-3, Wild: 4
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 7 drawing
Evening: 8-7-2-0, Wild: 2
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from June 7 drawing
03-16-27-28-38
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 7 drawing
02-18-29-32-51, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:
Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.
When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
- Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Heavy rain is moving in and could cause flooding across Middle Tennessee.
Showers and storms will start early Monday morning and continue through the day. A flood watch is in effect from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the entire area.
The FOX17 Code Red Weather team expects 1 to 3 inches of rain, with some spots possibly seeing up to 4 inches. There’s a good chance at least one area in Middle Tennessee will see flash flooding Monday, but it’s unclear exactly where that will happen.
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Creeks and streams will rise throughout the day. If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find another route.
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