This Is the Way: Fed up Red State Lawmakers Pass Law Targeting 1 Blue County Prosecutor Who Lets Crime Run Rampant
A bill in Tennessee would give the attorney general authority to audit the Shelby County district attorney’s office and, if warranted, replace the DA, a move tied to Memphis’s crime problem. The House and Senate have passed HB 483 and SB 443, and the measures are awaiting Governor Bill Lee’s signature. The proposed powers include reviewing how charges are dispositioned (including reductions or dismissals), pretrial release decisions and bail requirements, the use of DA funds, and any alleged misconduct in the DA’s duties. Proponents argue Memphis struggles with safety, noting Memphis was ranked the most risky U.S.city for 2025-2026 by U.S.News & World Report, with USA Today ranking it second. The bill would allow the AG to prosecute the current Shelby County DA, Steve Mulroy, if evidence suggests failure to enforce laws, a move Mulroy’s office criticizes as targeted and perhaps unconstitutional.
The Tennessee General Assembly has had enough of Memphis’ soft-on-crime officials.
To address a city that most Tennesseans avoid like the plague for its lack of safety, the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed HB 483 and SB 443 respectively, which give the attorney general the authority to audit the Shelby County district attorney’s office and replace the DA if deemed appropriate. The audit powers would only apply to this county.
The bill is awaiting Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s signature, according to a report from WMC on Thursday.
WMC highlighted the actions that the bill would allow the attorney general to take should Lee make it the law:
- Disposition of all charges brought to and by the district attorney general and the reasoning for the district attorney general’s decision to reduce, nolle prosequi, or dismiss a charge.
- Recommendations given by the district attorney general regarding conditions of pretrial release and requirement of bail or release on recognizance for charges.
- Use of funds by the district attorney general.
- Any other alleged misconduct or unlawful acts committed in the course of the district attorney general’s duties.
Essentially, the legislature wants to know why Memphis is so ridden with crime, and why local officials aren’t stopping it.
U.S. News & World Report placed Memphis as the most dangerous city in the United States for its 2025-2026 rankings. USA Today ranks it second behind New Orleans, Louisiana.
Something has to change.
Per WMC, the attorney general can prosecute the current Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy if sufficient evidence is found that his office was not enforcing current laws.
Mulroy’s office released a statement complaining about the bill.
“The bill targets Shelby County only for unprecedented, intrusive oversight of a locally elected DA by an unelected Attorney General, without providing any basis for treating Shelby County differently,” the statement said.
“It singles out federal task force cases for special treatment, even though Tennessee law provides no basis for treating those cases any differently than the many cases brought independently by local law enforcement,” it continued.
“The provision allowing the Attorney General to seek a temporary replacement of a DA largely repeats language already in Tennessee law and is therefore unnecessary; to the extent it goes further, it is likely unconstitutional.”
Blue city district attorneys must do their jobs like any other official.
Law-abiding citizens can’t afford to endure their dystopian pro-criminal outlook.
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