Analysis: ‘The most political lawsuit I’ve ever seen’ — Inside the fight over the city charter
Memphis City Council members JB Smiley and Martavius Jones listen to arguments in Chancery Court judge JoeDae Jenkins' courtroom May 10, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and 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 Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
The lawsuit over residency for Memphis mayoral candidates has broad ramifications.
Topics
Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
Will you help us reach more Memphians with quality, in-depth local news? Make a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian, a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization, today.
Thank you for keeping up with what’s happening in Memphis. Thank you for investing in our community’s trusted local news source.
Related stories
City’s attorney won’t issue opinion on mayoral residency requirement
The lack of official opinion from Sink won’t help clear up any of the existing ambiguity about the residency requirement, which could upend the 2023 Memphis mayoral race.
Van Turner says he lives in Binghampton, though MLGW bills show he doesn’t use any water
Memphis mayoral hopeful Van Turner says his Binghampton home needs work but is his residence. MLGW bills show no water usage since the house’s MLGW bill was put in Turner’s name late last year.
Residency requirement for Memphis mayor, city council seats to go before voters
A referendum ordinance on a two-year residency requirement cleared the Memphis City Council, which left open the question of the residency requirement for this year’s race for mayor.Related story:
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.