Five races have been trimmed from Shelby County’s 2026 election ballot after a court ruled the Shelby County Commission “exceeded” its authority by aligning school board elections with its own.
As it stands, contests for Memphis-Shelby County Schools board districts 1, 6, 8 and 9 will appear on the August slate following Monday’s Feb. 9 ruling.
Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson pointed to language in the commission’s resolution adding the other five districts to the election that does not align with Tennessee state law. Signed into law last year, House Bill 1383 authorizes local governing bodies to align school board elections with their own cycles.
“We are pleased with today’s ruling by Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson, which affirmed that the Shelby County Commission exceeded its authority in attempting to place all nine Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board seats on the 2026 ballot,” said MSCS in a statement.
School board members Natalie McKinnie, Stephanie Love, Tamarques Porter, Sable Otey and Towanna Murphy will be allowed to finish the remainder of their terms.
“The court’s decision upholds both the letter and spirit of the law and reinforces the principle that locally elected officials should serve the full terms to which they were duly elected. This outcome reflects a measured and thoughtful application of Tennessee law, and we appreciate the court’s careful consideration of the legal issues before it,” said MSCS.
The commission’s decision to truncate the terms was a blowback from the school board’s decision to fire former superintendent Marie Feagins. MSCS board members voted 6-3 to remove the former Detroit schools administrator in January 2025 for several alleged policy violations. She had only been on the job for nine months.
Following a public uproar, commissioners opted to add districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 to the 2026 ballot. However, the resolution also truncated the four-year terms of the school board members for those districts by two years. Commissioners were warned of a potential lawsuit.
“One of the bases upon which we said they didn’t have authority was that they exceeded what (the new Tennessee law) authorized. That alone is enough to disqualify any election,” said Atty. Allan Wade, who represented MSCS.
A county attorney declined to comment on whether the Shelby County Commission would appeal the ruling.
Wade’s prophecy came true. The board filed a lawsuit against the Shelby County Election Commission on Dec. 15. Last month, Taylor Jefferson granted a temporary restraining order halting the issuance of petitions for the five school board seats added to the ballot.
The Shelby County Commission was added to the lawsuit. The election commission, meanwhile, will be dropped from the suit if it follows Taylor Jefferson’s orders.
Candidates for office are required to submit petitions by Feb. 19 to qualify for the May 5 primary.
