Republican lawmakers in Tennessee voted Thursday to expel the first of three Democratic legislators from the state House over their protests on the chamber floor against gun violence.
The rare move drew attention across the nation to the partisan divisions that have rankled the Tennessee Legislature in recent months.
Over the cacophony of protesters outside the state House, Republican legislators began expulsion proceedings against Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson.
Republicans first moved to expel on Jones, with votes on the other two Democrats expected later in the day.
“What is happening here today is a situation in which the jury has already publicly announced the verdict,” Jones said during a speech he was granted to defend himself ahead of the vote. “A lynch mob assembled to not lynch me, but our democratic process.”
Jones said his participation in the protests amounted to him “standing for those young people … many of whom can’t even vote yet but all of whom are terrified by the continued trend of mass shootings plaguing our state and plaguing this nation.”
Chants from protesters — many of whom touted signs defending the “Tennessee three” — were audible throughout the entire legislative session Thursday. Organizers said hundreds were present.
The resolutions accused each of the Democratic lawmakers of engaging in “disorderly behavior” and purposely bringing “disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives” during protests against gun violence on the state House floor last week.
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As the onset of the proceedings, state House Republicans moved to play a heavily edited video showing some of the events of last week’s protests — despite Democratic objections.
That led quickly to the votes to expel. In a process that closely resembles a trial, the Tennessee House allows each member to defend themselves with a 20-minute speech. House members then debate the resolution, and then each member is allowed to answer questions about the accusations against them from lawmakers.
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During the protests last Thursday, the trio led supporters in chants calling for stricter gun safety measures after a mass shooting in a Nashville school that killed six people — including three 9-year-old children. Johnson, Jones and Pearson used a bullhorn, without being recognized to speak, in violation of rules for the House chamber. House leaders called their actions “an insurrection.”
The chaos continued into this week, as the expulsion proceedings were started Monday with the introduction of the resolutions. Over the yells of protesters who had again filled the chamber, each proposal passed on a party-line vote.
A protester was arrested Monday during the chaos, which, according to reporters at the session, included a physical altercation between Jones and GOP Rep. Justin Lafferty. Jones accused Lafferty of stealing his phone and trying to “incite a riot with his fellow members,” The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville reported.
The Tennessee Constitution allows either of the legislative chambers to expel a member with support from two-thirds its members.
With Republicans holding the necessary supermajority to carry out the expulsions Thursday, Democrats in the chamber had no tools to put up any meaningful resistance against the measures.
Johnson, Jones and Pearson will be able to run in special elections for the seats they were booted from.
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, has 30 days to set a date for the special elections. Until newly elected members are sworn in, the positions will be filled by interim representatives selected by county commissions in which the seats are located.
Johnson’s district includes parts of Knoxville; Jones’ includes parts of Nashville; and Pearson’s includes parts of Memphis.
The Tennessee House last voted to expel a sitting member in 2016, when members voted 70-2 to throw out Rep. Jeremy Durham over sexual misconduct allegations.
According to The Tennessean, House members had previously voted to expel a member in 1980 — but they hadn’t done so since the Civil War. The Tennessee Senate voted last year to expel a sitting member for the first time — Katrina Robinson — after she was convicted of federal wire fraud charges.
Supporters, however, have pointed out that — unlike in all of those precedents — the three expelled on Thursday faced no criminal or civil charges or any investigations, and that the expulsions marked the first time in state history that House members had been expelled for alleged House rules violations.
More than 250 Democratic state lawmakers across the U.S. signed on to a letter organized by a progressive legislation advocacy group that accused Tennessee Republicans of racist motives.
“The attempts to expel Reps. Jones, Johnson, and Pearson show a dark truth in the light of day: there’s a robust and racist connection between fighting against gun safety and dismantling our democracy,” the letter says. Jones and Pearson are Black.
Kailani Koenig contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
