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Tami Sawyer indictment renews Republican push for state intervention

By , Daily Memphian Updated: June 17, 2026 12:53 PM CT | Published: June 17, 2026 12:53 PM CT

The federal indictment of Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer has become part of the Republican campaign mantra that county government needs state intervention.

Hours after Sawyer turned herself in Monday, June 15, on the corruption charges, Republican contender for governor and U.S. House member John Rose of Cookeville put out a campaign statement saying the charges are “evidence we need to shake up the court system in Shelby County to efficiently put criminals away.”

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Tami Sawyer John Rose Rachel Wall Willie Simon state intervention Subscriber Only

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Bill Dries

Bill Dries

Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.


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