Key takeaways from the Tennessee House session where Republicans expelled two Black Democrats

Table Of Content

• The political legacy of the expulsions
• Tennessee House advances bill to ban reappointing lawmakers booted for behavior
• Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson arrive on House floor
• Ousted Tennessee House Democrat Justin Jones speaks about 'unconstitutional' expulsion
• minutes until protest
• Tennessee GOP Expel 2 House Dems Who Called For Gun Control With Protesters
• Margo Price says her megaphone was not used on the House floor

"We've had skirmishes on the floor that have taken this long to resolve, and there were never any consequences." Pearson also disputed the fact that he and the others disrupted the day's proceedings with their protest. "I absolutely never yelled," she said, adding that she "did not speak in voice louder than any other member on this floor."

The political legacy of the expulsions

Zephyr told conservative lawmakers they would have "blood on their hands" during debate on SB99, which would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. That sparked more outrage among critics who contend that Tennessee’s white GOP state leaders have long refused to trust Black local leaders. The bill does not provide a framework for the state to track how many teachers are armed and where, lay out any protocol for dealing with a teacher-involved shooting or establish requirements for storage of guns. Democrats also questioned whether the training would be enough to equip a teacher to confront a gunman who has a semiautomatic weapon.

Tennessee House advances bill to ban reappointing lawmakers booted for behavior

The expulsion vote took place one week after Reps. Johnson, Jones and Pearson used a megaphone to lead chants of demonstrators in the House gallery. Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones spoke about a school safety bill on Thursday, before he and Rep. Justin Pearson (far left) faced an expulsion vote along with Rep. Gloria Johnson. The expelled lawmakers conceded they didn't follow decorum by walking on the floor — what is called the well — and speaking without being formally recognized.

Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson arrive on House floor

“The only reason that I had to use a megaphone is because House Speaker Cameron Sexton cut my voice and the voice of 70,000 people I represent from the microphone,” Jones responded. Several Republicans asked cross-examining questions of Jones after his defense speech. Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, asked Jones how the bullhorn (an item prohibited by House rules) got onto the House floor. After gathering his personal items from his legislative desk, he exited the House chamber and took some questions from the media. Before the vote, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, argued that there was not sufficient evidence to prove claims in the expulsion resolution. Pearson, Jones and Johnson joined protesters gathered at the top of the Capitol steps shortly after.

What's next for Justin Jones and Justin Pearson in Tennessee?

Pearson, who proposed multiple amendments that were voted down, said the proposal amounted to a government overreach that strips constitutional power from local officials. In 2016, state Rep. Jeremy Durham was expelled after being found to have shown "disorderly behavior" — in that case, Durham was facing numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. The Tennessee Constitution's Article II, Section 12 empowers the House to "punish its members for disorderly behavior," and to expel members with a two-thirds majority vote. The video was a compilation of footage from that day and afterward — and because it included video shot on the House floor, Democrats said whichever member had taken the footage had likely violated House rules.

Zephyr told ABC News that she has been stonewalled from debate or comment on the Montana House floor for over a week by Republican leaders, who say her comments broke the rules of "decorum." The Montana House voted on Wednesday to censure the state's first openly transgender legislator Zooey Zephyr, who called for her colleagues to vote against a gender-affirming care ban for transgender youth. As the TSU fallout increased, House members appeared hesitant to hold a potentially explosive debate over reparations. The bill was briefly debated on the House floor last week but support remained unclear.

The legislation is the biggest expansion of gun access in the state since last year’s deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville where shooter indiscriminately opened fire and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police. Senate leaders kicked a group of parents and advocates out of the gallery for protesting before the chamber’s April 9 vote. On April 15, about 250 Nashville high school students left class, according to a Moms Demand Action estimate, and marched to the Capitol.

Tennessee GOP Expel 2 House Dems Who Called For Gun Control With Protesters

The "Youth Health Protection Act" would restrict the use of hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgeries on people under age 18 for the purposes of gender transitioning. Meanwhile, other states have willingly moved to study reparations, including California, New Jersey and Vermont. A Florida Republican lawmaker proposed a constitutional amendment this year that would have banned state or local governments from paying reparations, but the measure didn’t pass.

Tennessee Three Democrat sues over expulsion and House rules that temporarily silenced him - NBC News

Tennessee Three Democrat sues over expulsion and House rules that temporarily silenced him.

Posted: Wed, 04 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

I’m proud that Metro Council is meeting Monday to fill the vacancy left in Nashville by today’s vote, & I believe they’ll send @brotherjones_ right back to continue serving his constituents. President Joe Biden issued a statement Thursday night calling it "shocking" and "undemocratic." "This is not about expelling us as individuals. This is your attempt to expel the voices of the people from the people's house. It will not be successful," Jones said before the vote to expel him. "Your overreaction, your flexing of false power has awakened a generation of people who will let you know that your time is up." A principal, school district and law enforcement agency would have to agree to let staff carry guns, and then workers who want to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit and written authorization from the school’s principal and local law enforcement.

During the proceeding, loud protests could occasionally be heard from off the chamber's floor. Jones said if given the opportunity to return to his seat, he will continue to fight for gun reform legislation in Tennessee. Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman told ABC News the consequences of the lawmakers' expulsion go beyond partisan politics, as thousands of Tennesseans are now without representation. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Former Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, the youngest of two Black lawmakers expelled from the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives, spoke out in a new interview with ABC News.

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone. Faison said the three Democrats had “worked up” a crowd of protestors earlier in the day. "Today is a very dangerous day for America," Jones added in a hallway interview after the vote. Michael Myers, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, after he was indicted on bribery charges. The state Senate has never exercised its power to expel a member, according to the AG report.

The push to arm school staffers is one of the most expansive pro-gun steps taken by the state since the shooting at the Covenant School in March 2023, when a former student killed three students and three adults. Lawmakers have not passed substantial restrictions on gun use since the killings; they have passed other measures, including one that requires resource officers, that they say will bolster school safety. The Tennessee legislature passed a bill Tuesday that would allow teachers and school staffers to carry concealed handguns in schools, one of the most divisive steps taken by Republican leaders in the year since six people were killed by a shooter at a Nashville school.

President Joe Biden on Thursday night slammed the decision to Tennessee House Republicans to expel two Democratic lawmakers after they broke House rules to lead a gun-reform protest from the chamber's floor. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, likened the events to an "insurrection," even comparing the March 30 peaceful protest that resulted in zero arrests to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Though he later walked back the comments, saying his remarks were directed at the three lawmakers and not protesters. Sexton this week said he considered the unprecedented floor protest an act "against civil authority."

During welcoming and honoring remarks, Johnson welcomed buses of protestors who traveled from Knoxville. "I don't think I'd have the courage and the forgiveness to honor the seventh person, but Katherine did," Freeman said. "It reminds us that we all need to be forgiving and not be distracted by everything that's going on around us. Remember that seven people died last week. Congressman Steve Cohen, (D-Memphis), wrote a letter to Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, asking him to consider alternative reprimands for Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson who face expulsion. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began Thursday's briefing by addressing Tennessee Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson imminent expulsion from the House. Four hours after the House went into session, and 29 bills later, members are taking up the issue of expulsion for Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson.

As protesters filled the galleries, the lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant. The scene unfolded days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school. Their participation from the front of the chamber broke House rules because the three did not have permission from the House speaker. Faison appeared on the network Thursday after the state House expelled two Democrats — Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, both Black — and allowed Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, to keep her seat. All three participated in a protest on the House floor in the wake of the Covenant School shooting that killed six people, including three children, in Nashville last month. The GOP-dominated House voted to expel the state representative last week after he and two other Democrats called for gun reform on the chamber floor.

He pumped his fists and silently mouthed, “This is our House.” Those in the gallery pumped their fists back and mouthed “Our House” as Pearson circled around the floor. Tennessee’s GOP-dominated House expelled two Democratic lawmakers over their roles in a gun control protest. In the wake of the expulsions, Tennessee House Republicans also installed new rules this year that limit how long lawmakers can debate bills and restrict members deemed “out of order” from speaking, potentially for a couple of days for some repeat offenses. Republicans are also proposing constitutional amendments for voters that would ban lawmakers from returning to office after they were expelled.