Memphis politicians, state tussle in Nashville court
Plaintiffs Memphis City Council member JB Smiley, left, Rep. Gabby Salinas D-Memphis, center, and Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, right, speak during a news conference after an injunction hearing Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Nashville, challenging the deployment of the National Guard in Memphis. (George Walker IV/AP)
The Monday hearing was the Tennessee version of a legal fight that has played out in U.S. courts over the past few months as Trump has sought to use the military in U.S. cities run by members of the opposite political party.
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Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Tennessee National GuardSamuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. He began his journalism career at the Tulsa World in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he covered business and, later, K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on Elon Musk’s xAI, regional energy needs and how Memphis and Shelby County government spend taxpayer dollars.
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