ACLU-TN Challenges Government Overreach with Vigil & Court Action

NASHVILLE, TN – The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) today announced two urgent actions challenging government overreach affecting Tennessee communities. The organization will co-host a community vigil Sunday in Mason to spotlight ICE detentions without due process. Earlier this week, the ACLU-TN also filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit against the unconstitutional deployment of National Guard troops in Memphis.

“For-profit detention centers and militarized policing both thrive in darkness,” said Miriam Nemeth, executive director of ACLU-TN.

“Whether it’s National Guard troops deployed as police officers in Memphis or ICE agents detaining our neighbors in Mason, we’re witnessing a dangerous erosion of checks and balances. The threats are coordinated, so our response must be as well.”

Vigil for Justice Highlights ICE Detentions in Mason — Sunday, Nov. 2

The Community Vigil for Justice and Due Process will take place Sunday, November 2, from 4:00–5:30 PM at Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church (122 Washington Ave., Mason, TN).

The vigil will unite faith leaders, community members, and advocates to call out ICE arrests and detentions occurring without legal safeguards. Participants will honor those detained, support affected families, and urge elected officials to respect due process protections.

The event follows the Mason Board of Alderman’s contested August 12 vote on contracts with Tennessee-based CoreCivic and ICE for a detention facility. ACLU-TN contends that town officials ignored the terms of their own charter to rush through a harmful contract that will generate $30 million in corporate profits for a for-profit prison company. Sunday’s vigil is taking place alongside dozens of other gatherings nationwide as part of the Disappeared in America Day of Action. The vigils honor the lives lost in ICE detention centers, shine a light on injustice, and remind those detained that they are not forgotten.

• WHAT: Community Vigil for Justice and Due Process
• WHO: ACLU-TN, West Tennessee For The People, and partner organizations, faith leaders, and community members
• WHEN: Sunday, November 2, 2025 | 4:00–5:30 PM CT
• WHERE: Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 122 Washington Ave., Mason, TN
• REGISTER: http://aclu.org/masonvigil

ACLU-TN and Memphis Community Organizations Urge Court to Block Governor’s Unconstitutional National Guard Deployment

On Thursday, October 30, ACLU-TN, along with Memphis-based community organizations, filed an amicus brief in Harris v. Lee. The amicus brief supports the seven elected officials challenging Governor Bill Lee’s deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis. Democracy Forward, National Immigration Law Center, and Sherrard Roe Voigt and Harbison, PLC filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs.

The ACLU-TN brief argues that the governor violated the Tennessee Constitution and state law by deploying National Guard soldiers to Memphis without legislative authorization or local request. The state constitution permits the governor to deploy the militia in cases of rebellion or invasion, and then only after the General Assembly authorizes such a deployment. None of these circumstances currently exists in Memphis. The deployment echoes a troubling historical pattern of using military force to intimidate predominantly Black Memphis communities, including a 1938 deployment that targeted Black voters.

“The Tennessee Constitution was written to prevent exactly this kind of executive overreach,” said Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, ACLU-TN senior staff attorney. “Our founders understood that unchecked military and police power is incompatible with liberty and democracy.”

Partner organizations that have signed onto the brief in support are: Advocates for Immigrant Rights, American Muslim Advisory Council, The Equity Alliance, Just City, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), Memphis For All, OUTMemphis, Stand For Children Tennessee, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), the Transformative Justice Initiative of the University of Memphis School of Law, and the Free The 901 Campaign. Click here to read quotes from organizations.

Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal will hear a motion to stop the deployment in Davidson County Chancery Court on Monday, November 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM CT.

Two Actions, One Fight for Constitutional Protections

Both the Mason vigil and the Memphis legal challenge address a shared crisis: unchecked executive power, lack of transparency, due process violations, the political weaponization of law enforcement, and the disproportionate impact of government overreach on communities of color. ACLU-TN urges Tennesseans to attend Sunday’s vigil and stay informed about Harris v. Lee, because when government power operates in the shadows, it’s up to all of us to shine a light for civil liberties.

About the Organization

ACLU of Tennessee: The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) is an affiliate of the national ACLU. A non-partisan non-profit organization, for more than 50 years, ACLU-TN has been dedicated to defending the principles of liberty, equality, and justice that are embodied in the U.S. Constitution. For more information, visit www.aclu-tn.org.

The brief is available here.