Tennessee House expulsion: Why were 2 Democratic lawmakers expelled

Table Of Content

• Who is Justin Jones?
• Nashville Metro Council votes to reappoint Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives
• Second expelled Black Democrat reinstated to Tennessee House
• More from CBS News
• What are the House rules around expulsion?
• Expelled Tenn. Democrat Slams GOP: 'We Can Never Normalize The Ending Of Democracy'
• News
• ABC News Live

Teachers who wish to do so would be required to have gun permits, undergo a background check and mental health evaluation, and take 40 hours of training annually. Those opponents objected not only to the idea of arming teachers, which they said introduced risk into classrooms and created a situation ripe for accidents or misuse, but also to the specifics of the measure. In a state with some of the most lax gun-control measures and highest gun violence rates, they say the most effective way to prevent more shootings is to limit the number of guns on campuses, not increase them. The House voted 68-28, after striking down various amendments proposed by Democrats and repeatedly warning spectators in the gallery to quiet down. As the story broke inside the House chamber on Thursday right before lawmakers took a lunch break, Campbell sat at his desk with his head down.

Who is Justin Jones?

The Tennessee state House used its power to expel only three other times in its long history, according to a 2019 report from the former state attorney general's office. The Republican-controlled Tennessee state House of Representatives has expelled two Democratic lawmakers in what marks the first partisan expulsion in the state's modern history. "What is happening here today is a farce of democracy," Jones said at the beginning of his 20-minute defense on Thursday. "What is happening here today is a situation in which the jury has already publicly announced the verdict. What we see today is just a spectacle. What we see today is a lynch mob assembled to not lynch me, but our democratic process." Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, were both expelled after a vote from the Republican supermajority House in a move that put the nation's eyes on Tennessee and its politics. Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, was also on the proverbial chopping block, but the House failed by one vote to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to kick Johnson out of the chamber.

Nashville Metro Council votes to reappoint Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives

A special election will be called to fill the two seats vacated by the expulsion of the two Democrats. But Jones and Pearson are both eligible to run again, Carrie Russell, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University, told Yahoo News. The winner of that election will fulfill the remainder of the term before having to run for reelection in 2024. Upon Pearson’s return to the House floor, lawmakers debated legislation that deals with the teaching of “divisive concepts” regarding race, gender and sex on college campuses.

Second expelled Black Democrat reinstated to Tennessee House

"What they did was try to hold up the people's business on the House floor instead of doing it the way that they should have done it, which they have the means to do," Sexton said. "They actually thought that they would be arrested, and so they decided that them being a victim was more important than focusing on the six victims from Monday. And that's appalling." Jones took several pointed pauses while sipping water during his floor speeches, allowing the chants of "whose house, our house," to flow into the chamber from the crowd gathered outside. After hours of fiery debate, the House expelled Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, on a vote, and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, by 69-26, in a move that put the nation's eyes on Tennessee and its politics. The forced expulsion of lawmakers from any state legislative body in the United States is a rare event. Before the votes, she defended her colleagues Pearson and Jones, saying the legislature has to "welcome this younger generation, who might do it a little bit differently, but they are fighting for their constituency."

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"We had a child molester on the floor for years, they helped him get reelected and did nothing to expel him," said Johnson, who filed a resolution to expel Byrd at the time. "We've had members pee in each other's chairs. We've had members illegally prescribe drugs to their cousin-mistress, and nothing happened. But talk on the floor without permission, and you'll get expelled." The House last expelled a sitting lawmaker in 2016, when the chamber voted 70-2 to remove then-Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, over allegations he had harassed nearly two dozen women while in office. One week ago we had members take it upon themselves to rush the well and stop the people’s business." The two vacant seats will be filled, and both Jones and Pearson could soon return to the legislature.

Jones and Pearson were both reinstated this week after council and commission votes at the local level. Johnson, who is white, was spared from expulsion by a single vote after her legal team argued her role was lesser, noting she didn’t use a bullhorn. The Democrats were dubbed the “Tennessee Three” and drew national attention and fundraising. One of the Legislature’s staff attorneys expressed concerns about the bill last week, telling House lawmakers during a committee hearing that it raises constitutional questions and suggesting proposing the change to voters in a constitutional amendment instead.

Expelled Tenn. Democrat Slams GOP: 'We Can Never Normalize The Ending Of Democracy'

A Missouri Republican introduced a bill that would ban any state or local government entity from spending on reparations based on race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or economic class. Sloan, who works in a second-grade classroom as part of her studies, said she would be reluctant to continue her career path if school staffers were armed. Bailey, the Senate sponsor, said bearing the liability would help ensure that only staff members who are prepared for that responsibility would apply. “The legislation serves as another line of defense that would possibly ward off school intruders,” Bailey said in an interview before the House bill passed. Lawmakers in both parties expect Gov. Bill Lee (R) to sign the bill, they told The Washington Post.

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"Unfortunately, we were obligated to levy unprecedented consequences on those members today. Our focus continues to be on the six innocent lives that were brutally taken last week at the Covenant School, not those who have chosen to make this tragedy about themselves." After the votes were concluded, she suggested that she had survived the process because she is White and Jones and Pearson are Black. He'd been one of the youngest members of the legislature and represented the state's 52nd district, which has about 70,000 residents and is part of Davidson County, the Nashville metro area.

Tennessee House advances bill to ban reappointing lawmakers booted for behavior - NBC News

Tennessee House advances bill to ban reappointing lawmakers booted for behavior.

Posted: Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

ABC News Live

The Congressional Black Caucus released a statement Monday after Rep. Justin Jones was reinstated to his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Sitting in puddles on the first floor of the closest parking garage to the Capitol, a group of demonstrators carefully wrapped tape around their signs to waterproof them an hour before the rally even started. About 265 legislators from 35 different states signed a letter in support of Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson, according to the State Innovation Exchange. “All of the people in the gallery, I love that you’re here, I hope that you stay quiet so that you can witness this process,” Johnson said.

Demonstrators inside the Capitol gathered around a small screen to listen intently to the debate. Jones then accused Bulso of calling him a "damned disgrace" in a private moment earlier this week. Jones repeatedly said he was driven to protest in the well in order to represent his constituents. He later walked up to the gallery, watching the legislative hearing below as a member of the public. House Republicans fell one vote short in an attempt to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson from the Tennessee House of Representatives, in a shocking vote of 65 to 30, falling just one vote short of the 66 votes needed to prevail.

Protesters in the gallery erupted into screams and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for the vote anyway. All three resolutions passed along party lines — making it difficult for Democrats to block the final vote today. "Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee," the Democratic president said in a statement. The expulsions mark the fourth time since the end of the Civil War when House members expelled their elected colleagues. While Jones is a freshman lawmaker, he is no stranger to the Capitol and led public protests against the lawmakers who later became his colleagues. In 2019, he led sit-ins to call for the removal of the bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol, and was once arrested for tossing liquid at the former House speaker.

Jones slammed Republicans for their partisan vote and described the unprecedented move as a "lynching of democracy." As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

They did so, they said, to amplify the voices of protesters and their constituents. Earlier in the proceedings, Rep. Johnny Garrett, the House majority whip, played a seven-minute video of events from that day, over objections of Democrats including Rep. Joe Towns, Jr., D-Memphis, who spoke out against what he called a "stacked deal" and an "ambush." Johnson also spoke about her experience as a teacher during a school shooting at a Knoxville high school in 2008. Although she's now retired, Johnson said that she still spends a lot of time on school campuses and that whenever she hears the cry of police siren or an ambulance, she jumps. "I represent 78,000 people and when I came to the well that day I was not standing for myself," Jones said.

“There’s a very low probability that even one-tenth of 1 percent [of teachers] would do this,” said House sponsor Rep. Ryan Williams (R) during floor debate Tuesday. Lawmakers declined to enact significant legislation, swatting away proposals to remove guns from mentally unstable individuals and passing more incremental measures. In February 2017, Rep. Mark Lovell, R-Eads, left office while facing allegations of sexual harassment. Lovell, who was a freshman lawmaker, was later found to have violated the legislature’s harassment policy. Under the legislature’s harassment policy, an internal investigation must begin immediately after the complaints are received.

Republican Rep. Bryan Richey told CNN in an interview Friday that their expulsion "had nothing to do with race." "They killed democracy in Tennessee...Their action was meant to intimidate. It was meant to humiliate, but what it did was put the state of Tennessee on trial for the world to see," he continued. "There are crimes against democracy happening in Tennessee being led by House Speaker Cameron Sexton," Jones said. Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

Speaking in response to questions from a Republican lawmaker, Johnson disagreed that she had shouted from the floor. Windle said expulsion has been reserved for people who take bribes, commit sexual offenses, or for felons. A motion was adopted to allow Johnson, Pearson and Jones 20 minutes each to speak on their own behalf, including time for their attorneys. The trio, whom supporters call "The Tennessee Three," have already been stripped of their committee assignments.