On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee State House of Representatives voted on whether to expel, or kick out, three democratic Congresspeople after they joined the public during a peaceful protest for gun reform earlier in the week. Tennessee once again became a headline state across national news outlets, leading many residents to be embarrassed at how local politics have chosen to behave.
The week following the Covenant School shooting that killed 3 children and 3 adults sparked a massive movement, in Nashville specifically, to create legislation to ban assault weapons. This topic has been a huge, controversial debate for a while, and not just in the south. Click here to read my article on the gun violence debate.
Protests across the country, especially in Nashville, arose almost immediately. Not surprisingly, many big names joined in including legislators of the Tennessee State Capitol itself. State Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson deliberately stepped aside at the Capitol to support the protests, which ended up inside the chamber. The protest itself was completely peaceful: it was composed mostly of students, parents, and teachers holding signs relating to the shooting at Covenant and/or the questioning of guns while leading chants. There were no extreme actions, nor were there any injuries. Instead of support, the public received an unexpected reaction that many saw as the Republican majority taking advantage of the opportunity by voting to expel the congressmen and congresswoman due to the rule which states- no protest may enter the House chamber.
This event took hold of national news as many politicians in the U.S. gave a statement on the issue including President Biden. “Today’s expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protests is shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent,” the President said, “Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people.” Former President Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, Former Vice President Al Gore, and numerous other Democrats attacked the Republican party for the “dangerous” and “obscene actions” they took. Even Republicans joined in as Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman voiced his party by saying, “Republicans expelled Rep. Justin Jones, because he stood with his constituents against gun violence. All that BS from the GOP about ‘[The Democrats are] coming for Trump, coming for you’, well here’s the truth: the GOP is coming [for you] first.’”
Representative Gloria Johnson, a 60 year-old white woman, was voted to stay, but Representative Justin Jones and Representative Justin Pearson, 27 year-old black men, were both voted to be expelled from Tennessee’s congress. Needless to say, this point drew even further controversy. Johnson, who is white, said the disparity which led her to not getting expelled “might have to do with the color of my skin,” The Tennessean reported. Representative Johnson further told the media, “We are losing our democracy. We need to make sure we stomp out this march to facism.”
Both Representatives Jones and Pearson are able to regain their position. First, the counties they represent will choose a temporary, or interim, congressperson until the special election occurs. Both Jones and Pearson are expected to be chosen to serve as temporary congressmen for themselves. Next comes the special election which, yes, both men can actually run again for election. According to Tennessee law, a state representative must be at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen, a resident of Tennessee for at least 3 years, and a qualified voter of their district (no felony convictions). Both representatives fit those descriptions. They will most likely run again, with a very high probability of winning again.
Representative Jones, before leaving, also gave powerful words, giving examples of what other constituents in Tennessee Congressional seats have done that went unpunished. “For years, one of your colleagues who was an admitted child molester sat in this chamber, no expulsion. One member sits in this chamber who was found guilty of domestic violence, no expulsion. We had a member pee in another member’s chair in the chamber, no expulsion… You’re trying to put us on trial-- I’ll say what you’re really putting on trial is the state of Tennessee. A state in which the Ku Klux Klan was founded is now attempting another power grab by silencing the two youngest black representatives and one of the only Democratic women in this body… [I was] a voice for my people. A voice for the Tennesseans who you chose not to listen to because of those NRA checks.”
Jones left the chamber with an attack on the conservatives after calling this event “nothing less than authoritarianism.” The former representative stated, “We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you responded with an assault on democracy.”
UPDATE: As of Monday, April 10, Justin Jones was reinstated as the temporary representative. He will continue to serve until the special election that will be held.
- Jacob Francy
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