A Tennessee judge blocked the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis, siding with Democrats who claimed that the action was not making the crime-ridden city safer. 

Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal granted a temporary injunction on Monday against Republican Governor Bill Lee’s deployment of National Guard troops to aid federal law enforcement operations in Memphis. Moskal said that Lee lacked the authority to send in the troops and that they were not assisting in the crackdown on violent crime. 

“The Court finds that the first factor — whether the Tennessee Constitution has committed the issue of when to use the National Guard to the Governor—is not met,” Moskal wrote in her decision. “The power committed to the Governor as commander-in-chief of the Army and Militia is not unfettered.”

A coalition of Memphis-area Democrats, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, filed a lawsuit against Lee and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on October 17 after the Trump administration announced a “Memphis Safe Taskforce” involving a surge of federal personnel to the city.

As part of this federal-state partnership, Lee deployed nearly 200 National Guard members to Memphis with the stated goal of supporting federal operations and deterring crime. More than 30 federal entities are currently involved in the operation, which has led to over 2,790 arrests, 453 illegal firearms seized, and more than 300 gang members arrested. 

Over the last few years, Memphis has consistently ranked as one of the nation’s most dangerous cities, with one analysis showing that it had the highest rate of violent crime in 2024. 

In court, Memphis officials argued that “the deployment is causing immediate and irreparable harm to the County by the increased number of arrests, over burdening the criminal justice system, and overcrowding jail facilities,” Moskal wrote in her decision. 

“The residents of Memphis also have a strong public interest in not being subjected to domestic military occupation for law enforcement purposes under circumstances where it is not statutorily authorized,” Moskal wrote. 

Tennessee will have five days to appeal the decision before the ruling takes effect. 

A poll released earlier this month by the Beacon Center found that the majority of Tennesseans approve of sending the National Guard to Memphis. The poll of registered voters found that 63% approved of the deployment while 33% disapproved.

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives on Tuesday will vote on a bill calling for the release of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The bipartisan bill, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is sponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA). This bill requires the Department of Justice to publish “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.”

The bill would also require the Justice Department to release materials that relate to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s reported associate and convicted sex trafficker, as well as “flight logs and travel records,” and “individuals named or referenced (including government officials) in connection with the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.”

The Justice Department is permitted to withhold certain information, such as victims’ personal information and materials that would “jeopardize an active federal investigation,” the bill summary noted.

The House will vote on the bill after 2:00 p.m. If passed, it would head to the Senate, where Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says he will move for the upper chamber to “immediately take it up and pass it — period.”

“Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him,” Schumer said.

It remains to be seen whether Thune will do so, considering Trump has urged House Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files and pledged to sign the bill if passed. Republicans had initially opposed releasing the files as Democrats pushed to do so, claiming the files implicated Trump. Trump on Monday said he was tired of the Epstein saga overshadowing his administration’s accomplishments, and claimed that releasing the files would hurt Democrats more than Republicans.

Trump’s about-face seems to have turned the tide among Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who had previously urged his party to oppose the release. While several Republicans had already planned to vote for releasing the files, Trump’s change of heart will likely encourage more lawmakers to do so.

The bill summary said 15 days after the required publication, the DOJ must report “all categories of information released and withheld, a summary of any redactions made, and a list of all government officials and politically exposed individuals named or referenced in the published materials.”

On Monday night, Khanna said the “swamp” is “trying to get it amended in the Senate.”

“Anyone who tried to amend a bill POTUS says he will sign is betraying the survivors,” Khanna said.