The Tennessee House has voted to expel Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. The motion to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson failed by one vote.
The three Democrats led an anti-gun demonstration with a bullhorn from the well of the House last week following the shooting at the New Covenant School in Nashville.
As the AP reports . . .
The banishment of Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson was a move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures possess the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents.
Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol on Thursday to support the Democrats, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loudly that the noise drowned out the proceedings.
The trio held hands as they walked onto the House floor, and Pearson raised his fist to the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Offered a chance to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.
“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” he said.
BREAKING: TN House votes 69-26 to EXPEL Memphis Rep. Justin J. Pearson. Galleries erupt in boos screaming “fascists!” pic.twitter.com/re3bZXMG1n
— Bria Bolden (@boldenbria) April 7, 2023
