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Meanwhile, protest leaders were keeping tabs on the proceedings inside, periodically updating others on what was happening. Several in the crowd also had phones held close as they watched the livestream of the session. Jones said he acted in representation of the 78,000 people in his district, many of whom are young people who cannot vote.
Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson to get 20 minutes each to defend themselves
Clemmons asked the House Clerk to read House Rule 2, which prohibits recording and live streaming of House proceedings by members. Clemmons then argued that the member who recorded the video which appeared to be made from the House floor violated House rules should also face consequences. After further debate, Sexton directed the House Clerk to read the expulsion resolution for Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, officially triggering his 20-minute defense. “It also shows Mr. Lafferty videotaping on this house floor,” Rep. Bo Mitchell said. Democrats argued that the member who recorded video on the House floor was in violation of the chamber’s rules, and should face consequences. Jones accused the Republican supermajority of strategically silencing democrats, and implied that expulsion of the three could have racist intentions.
Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions
"The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent. Across Tennessee and across America, our kids are paying the price for the actions of Republican lawmakers," Jean-Pierre said. House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, objected as the 7-minute video could not reflect the entirety of the circumstances including the shooting, protests, and subsequent demonstration by members on the floor. He argued that the caucus had no notice of intent to show the video, and the three members facing expulsion did not have opportunity to review the video before proceedings. Before the final vote, all democrats in the chamber gathered around Johnson as she read the names of the six victims killed at the Covenant School last week during her closing remarks. As the resolution to expel Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, was read on the House floor, Johnson addressed her supporters in the Capitol outside the chamber doors.
Growing concern over supermajority chambers
Jones and Pearson, two young Black lawmakers, were expelled for waging a protest on the House floor last April calling for gun control just days after a Christian elementary school shooting in Nashville killed six people. They and Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson joined chants by protesters in the public gallery and outside the chamber. Jones, Pearson and Johnson had led supporters in chants calling for restrictions on guns after a shooting at a Nashville school killed six people, including three 9-year-old children. The three legislators broke House rules by speaking when they were not recognized to do so, with Jones and Pearson addressing protesters with a bullhorn.
House GOP Caucus' response
The bill’s passage, following earlier approval by the state Senate, marked another turbulent moment in the state’s debate over firearms and school safety, as parents lobbying for gun-control measures again came up against the GOP supermajority. President Biden released his own statement late Thursday, slamming Republicans for focusing on the House protest instead of meaningful action to prevent another school shooting. “We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy. That is why the nation is watching you today,” Jones said, challenging his Republican colleagues.
Both expelled members of 'Tennessee Three' win back their state House seats - POLITICO
Both expelled members of 'Tennessee Three' win back their state House seats.
Posted: Thu, 03 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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Here's what to know about the "Tennessee Three," the events that led up to Thursday's vote, and what happens next. Lee, a Republican, had announced his support for the proposal just the day before while flanked by top Republican legislative leaders who had helped shepherd the bill through the GOP-dominant General Assembly. Rep. Gloria Johnson evaded expulsion for her participation in the protest by one vote. On Wednesday, in a hearing before the vote about disciplinary actions Zephyr could face, she defended her words. The bill passed and is now on the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte, who has signaled his support for the legislation. "As I left the House chambers, I pressed my light to speak—a reminder that this legislature is removing 11,000 Montanans from discussion on every bill going forward," Zephyr tweeted.
"We have heard from thousands of people asking us to do something about gun violence," Pearson said. Justin Jones, 27, was the first of the "Tennessee Three" to be expelled from the House, by a vote of 72-25. On Monday, April 10, the Nashville Metro Council voted unanimously to reinstate Jones, and two days later the Shelby County Commission voted unanimously to reinstate Pearson. "When I stood up to speak on Senate Bill 99, I chose my words with precision, and I spoke with clarity because I see the real harm that these bills bring. I won't be apologizing for my remarks," she said on ABC News' Start Here podcast. Zephyr told ABC News that she believes she is being silenced by "those in power who don't want to be held accountable."
Both expelled members of 'Tennessee Three' win back their state House seats - The Associated Press
Both expelled members of 'Tennessee Three' win back their state House seats.
Posted: Fri, 04 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Nashville Metro Council votes to reappoint Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives
"None of us believed that we were doing anything that deserved expulsion from the House," he explained, adding that the House rules dictate that a member who violates the rules of decorum should face "censure" and not "expulsion." "I was told that we were crowding around the clerk's desk," he said, referring to the language in the motion against him and his colleagues. "And I gotta be honest with you, I just realized they were talking about this desk and not the one up there," he said pointing to the speaker's desk. State Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, listens to remarks on the floor of the House chamber, Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Windle argued that contrary to the motion submitted for her removal of the House, Johnson never shouted or pounded the podium or displayed a sign containing a political statement while she was in the well last week — all of which would be in violation of the House rules. Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, delivers remarks on the floor of the House chamber Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
The historic, partisan expulsion process has roiled political tensions as Tennessee continues to grapple with the deadliest school shooting in its history. Before this week, the two most recent expulsions in Tennessee's House came via overwhelmingly bipartisan votes to excise members on criminal or ethical grounds, rather than a supermajority imposing its will. Withers told Tapper he believes there will be enough votes to place Jones back in his seat and that the council is hearing from supporters throughout the state. The Nashville Metropolitan Council on Monday voted to reappoint Justin Jones to Tennessee House of Representatives, sending the ousted lawmaker back to occupy the House District 52 seat as an interim representative. Rep. Justin Jones welcomed "the people back to the people's house" while speaking on the House floor for the first time since being reappointed to his seat as an interim representative. House Bill 322, the first bill taken up by the chamber, passed in a vote of 95 to 4 after lengthy debate.
On April 6, state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson were expelled for allegedly violating the chamber's rules of decorum by protesting gun control on the House floor. “Rather than debating the merits of the issue (of gun control), these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee,” Biden said in a statement. Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, were ousted not for committing crimes but for breaching the rules of decorum.
He was elected in a January 2023 special election after the incumbent, Barbara Cooper, had died. He represented the state's 86th district, which has about 64,000 residents and is part of Shelby County, where Memphis is located. Republicans, who hold a large majority of seats, immediately pledged a rapid response. (Pearson was newly elected and had yet to receive any committee assignments.) Motions to expel the three from the legislature were introduced by three different Tennessee Republicans on April 3, accusing the trio of "disorderly behavior."
A spokesperson for the Tennessee state House GOP caucus did not respond to questions from NBC News. Mannis, who in 2021 became the first openly gay Republican member of the state Legislature, left office earlier this year after just one term, alleging that Republican leaders in the chamber had silenced his efforts to guide them away from their intense focus on social issues. “What happened in the state Capitol last week — I don’t see how it has any positive impact on the Republican Party.
At an evening rally, Jones and Pearson pledged to be back at the Capitol next week advocating for change. Many GOP officials and activists who spoke to NBC News defended the expulsions, saying the only misstep was not removing Johnson as well. Jones then said, “Some may argue that this is a neo-Nazi rally happening every time we convene in this body,” prompting the vote that his comments were out of order.