2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|2023 political incident}} |
{{Short description|2023 political incident}} |
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On April 6, 2023, the [[Tennessee House of Representatives]] voted on resolutions to expel three Democratic members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who had led protests for gun reform, following the [[2023 Covenant School shooting]] in [[Nashville]],Tennessee.Resolutions for the [[Expulsion from the United States Congress|expulsions]] of [[Justin Jones (Tennessee politician)|Justin Jones]] and [[Justin J. Pearson|Justin Pearson]] passed and they were removed from office, however the third resolution against [[Gloria Johnson (politician)|Gloria Johnson]] failed to pass and she was allowed to retain her seat. |
On April 6, 2023, the [[Tennessee House of Representatives]] voted on resolutions to expel three Democratic members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who had led protests for gun reform, following the [[2023 Covenant School shooting]] in [[Nashville]],Tennessee. Resolutions for the [[Expulsion from the United States Congress|expulsions]] of [[Justin Jones (Tennessee politician)|Justin Jones]] and [[Justin J. Pearson|Justin Pearson]] passed and they were removed from office, however the third resolution against [[Gloria Johnson (politician)|Gloria Johnson]] failed to pass and she was allowed to retain her seat. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Revision as of 09:08, 7 April 2023
On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted on resolutions to expel three Democratic members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who had led protests for gun reform, following the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville,Tennessee. Resolutions for the expulsions of Justin Jones and Justin Pearson passed and they were removed from office, however the third resolution against Gloria Johnson failed to pass and she was allowed to retain her seat.
Background
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives requires a two-thirds majority of the total membership to expel another representative. In the state of Tennessee, expulsions are rare; since the Civil War, only eight representatives have been expelled. Six representatives were expelled in 1866 for trying to prevent passage of the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to former slaves. In 1980, Republican representative Robert Fisher was expelled for bribery. Republican representative Jeremy Durham was expelled in 2016 for sexual misconduct.[1]
2023 Covenant School shooting
On March 27, 2023, a gunman killed three students and three adults at the Covenant School, a Presbyterian private school in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] Several days later, hundreds of protesters, joined by Democratic state representatives Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson, and Justin Pearson—later known as the "Tennessee Three"[3]—marched onto the Tennessee State Capitol to call on lawmakers to address gun reform.[4] Jones, Johnson, and Pearson chanted, "No action, no peace" during a proceeding that day, using a bullhorn.[5] The bullhorn was believed to be owned by country singer Margo Price; Price later clarified that it was not hers.[6] The Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Cameron Sexton, condemned the protest, and compared the three to the rioters during the January 6 Capitol attack. Sexton revoked their ID card access to the State Capitol on April 3 and stripped them of their committee assignments.[7]
Expulsions
Justin Jones
The Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel Jones by a vote of 72–25, split along party lines, save one.[8][9] HR 65, the resolution to remove Jones, was sponsored by Bud Hulsey and co-sponsored by Gino Bulso, Andrew Farmer, and Johnny Garrett.[10]
| Choice | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
|
72 | 72% |
 No
|
25 | 25% |
Gloria Johnson
The Tennessee House of Representatives voted to not expel Johnson; the vote was 65–30. Although the majority of representatives agreed to expel Johnson, the vote was not a two-thirds majority by one vote; the Republicans who did not support the resolution were Jody Barrett, Charlie Baum, Rush Bricken, Bryan Richey, Lowell Russell, Mike Sparks, and Sam Whitson.[11][8] The resolution, HR 64, was sponsored by Gino Bulso.[12]
| Choice | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Yes
|
65 | 65% |
| No
|
30 | 30% |
Justin Pearson
The Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel Pearson, 69–26.[8] HR 63, the resolution to remove Pearson, was sponsored by Andrew Farmer.[13]
| Choice | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Yes
|
69 | 69% |
| No
|
26 | 26% |
Protests
Concurrently, protesters gathered in the Tennessee State Capitol once more to protest the expulsions, chanting, "We stand with the Tennessee three", and reaffirming their support for gun reform legislation.[8]
Reactions
Joe Biden @POTUS Three kids and three officials gunned down in yet another mass shooting.
And what are GOP officials focused on?
Punishing lawmakers who joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action.
It's shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.
Apr 6, 2023[8]
Following Jones' expulsion, President Joe Biden wrote that the expulsion was "shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent".[8]
Tennessee State Senator London Lamar accused the Tennessee House of racism for expelling two black representatives but not the white representative.[14]
State Representative Joe Towns Jr. criticised the expulsion saying "you never use a sledgehammer to kill a gnat; we are dropping the nuclear option."[14]
When asked why she thought she was not expelled, Gloria Johnson said "It might have to do with the color of my skin.” Justin J. Pearson said of his expulsion "You cannot ignore the racial dynamic of what happened today — two young Black lawmakers get expelled and the one white woman does not,” while Justin Jones described it as "a farce of democracy.”[15]
See also
References
- ^ Gang, Duane W. (April 4, 2023). "Tennessee legislative expulsions: From sexual misconduct to opposing rights of former slaves". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ Hassan, Adeel; Cochrane, Emily (April 6, 2023). "What We Know About the Nashville School Shooting". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Frazier, Kierra (April 6, 2023). "What to know about 'the Tennessee three' after two Dems are expelled". Politico. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Melissa; Fiscus, Kirsten (March 30, 2023). "'They're begging us to do something': Nashville lawmaker calls for gun reform as hundreds protest after Covenant shooting". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Gregorian, Dareh (April 6, 2023). "Who are the three Democratic Tennessee lawmakers targeted for expulsion?". NBC News. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Paulson, Dave (April 6, 2023). "No, Margo Price's megaphone was not used by the 'Tennessee Three'". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Fawcett, Eliza; Cochrane, Emily (April 6, 2023). "Tennessee House Ousts Democratic Lawmaker: What You Need to Know". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy (April 6, 2023). "Tennessee House expels 1 lawmaker, falls short of ousting another while 3rd awaits vote". CNN. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Friedman, Adam (April 6, 2023). "Tennessee House Republicans expel two Democrats, keep one, over gun floor protests". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ "HR0065". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Jones, Vivian (6 April 2023). "Resolution to expel Rep. Johnson fails by one vote". The Tennessean. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "HR0064". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "HR0063". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ a b Tamburin, Adam (April 7, 2023). "Tennessee House GOP expels 2 Democratic lawmakers". Axios. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Cochrane, Emily; Fawcett, Eliza (April 6, 2023). "Tennessee G.O.P. Punishes 2 Democrats by Throwing Them Out of House". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2023.