Tennessee House votes to expel 2 of 3 Democratic members over gun protest

  • 📰 KPBSnews
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 73 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 33%
  • Publisher: 63%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

The Republican-led House voted to expel Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson for participating in a protest on the floor of the House over gun laws. A motion to remove Rep. Gloria Johnson failed.

Protesters call for gun reform laws and show support for three Democratic representatives who are facing expulsion as legislators start the morning session Thursday at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson of Memphis, Justin Jones of Nashville and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville face expulsion after they led a protest at the Capitol.

Jones was the first of the three to address the chamber, offering an explanation for his actions on the well of the floor on March 30.He called the majority Republican membership, many of whom have said they would vote to expel the members, a"lynch mob" that is eager to enact the"ultimate punishment" against himself, Johnson and Pearson.

An attorney for Johnson, former Rep. John Mark Windle, decried the resolution as an"outright lie" and"an outright distortion of her conduct."Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, delivers remarks on the floor of the House chamber Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Speaking in response to questions from a Republican lawmaker, Johnson disagreed that she had shouted from the floor.

First, he argued that as a freshman representative, he has not been made aware of all of the House rules and to what and when they apply. "I didn't disrupt proceedings between 10:50 to 11:42 because it wouldn't have been possible. We were in a recess," he said. Hundreds of people came to the Tennessee State Capitol on Thursday to protest the vote and call for gun control, asBefore the vote, Jones, Pearson and Johnson noted that if they were expelled, more than 200,000 Tennesseans would lose the representatives they lawfully elected last fall.."This is another example of the erosion of democracy because we spoke up for gun reform.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 240. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

How Unprecedented Is Tennessee House's Expulsion of Justin Jones, Justin Pearson?Such actions are extremely rare, according to a 2019 report by the TN Attorney General. There have been three instances in which members of the state House were expelled, and it has never happened in the TN Senate.
Source: snopes - 🏆 228. / 63 Read more »

One Tennessee Republican votes against expelling Democrat Justin JonesJones was expelled from the state House one week after taking part in a gun control protest. Fellow Democrats Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson could be next.
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »

The Consistently Bipartisan Republican HouseIn Opinion from newtgingrich | 'The new, Republican-led Congress is proving itself to be dramatically different from the Nancy Pelosi-led House.'
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »

'A Very Dark Day for Tennessee': House GOP Expels Democrat Justin JonesBefore he was expelled by Tennessee Republicans, Democratic state Rep. brotherjones_ warned that 'it will signal to the nation that there is no democracy in this state,' and 'if it can happen here in Tennessee, it's coming to your state next.' Take this a federal court. Immediately.
Source: commondreams - 🏆 530. / 51 Read more »

Republican-led Tennessee house expels two Black Democrats over gun protestRepublicans deny accusations of racism after Tennessee House expelled two Black Democratic lawmakers from the legislature over gun control protests while a third Democrat — white — was narrowly spared by a one-vote margin
Source: trtworld - 🏆 101. / 63 Read more »

Tennessee House expels 2nd Democratic lawmaker, after falling short of ousting another | CNNTennessee's Republican-controlled House of Representatives has voted to expel Rep. Justin Pearson, a week after he and two other Democrats led a gun reform protest on the House floor. “Led a insurrection” Shame on Nashville. They get madder at folks expressing their first amendment rights than the murder of children with unregulated guns. Bet they didn’t care about the storming of our capitol either. Good, law and order keep up the good work 👍🏻
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »