In the eyes of Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House, taking a stand for stricter gun laws as a Black Democratic member is cause for expulsion.
That’s what occurred Thursday when the House voted to expel three Democratic members: Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. Jones and Pearson, who are Black, were effectively expelled. The House failed to expel Johnson, who is white, by a single vote.
Last week, the three legislators joined hundreds of protesters who packed out the Capitol to call for the passage of stricter gun laws in the state.
It was an extraordinary move since state legislatures typically expel members for serious acts of misconduct and not as a political weapon. Nevertheless, it was the first partisan expulsion in the state’s modern history.
The Tennessee house has drawn condemnation from political officials, gun control advocates and civil rights leaders nationwide, including President Joe Biden.
“Today’s expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent,” said Biden in a statement. “Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee.”
A former President chimed in as well:
What happened in Tennessee is the latest example of a broader erosion of civility and democratic norms. Silencing those who disagree with us is a sign of weakness, not strength, and it won’t lead to progress.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 7, 2023
Dubbed the #TennesseeThree, the Democratic state representatives up for expulsion demanded stricter gun safety laws just days after a 28-year-old reportedly fired 152 rounds in a Nashville school, killing six people, including three children.
The irony of those expulsions were not lost on observers.
“The Tennessee House’s decision to remove two Black legislators who exercised their right to free speech was a plain and simple attack on our democracy,” said Rev. Al Sharpton in a statement on behalf of the National Action Network (NAN). “How can you remove these lawmakers, who spoke for thousands of Black Tennesseans living under the threat of gun violence every day, but stop short of removing their white colleague and deny this is a racist action?”
Others took to Twitter to note the outcome.
3 TN legislators interrupted debate and lead protesters in a call for stricter gun laws after the Nashville Christian School shooting that left 6 dead.
The House voted to expel Reps Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson but not Rep Gloria Johnson.
Do you know whyTE? pic.twitter.com/AkFVNG6buU
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 7, 2023
Nevertheless, thousands descended on the Tennessee Capitol again to call for gun violence reform and to support the embattled state reps.
As Jones and Pearson’s expulsions made national headlines, some speculated that those moves would ultimately backfire on Tennessee’s Republican-controlled house and the GOP in general, while ultimately boosting the two black lawmakers.
Dear Tennessee House @GOP Members
Y’all just played yourselves.
You just put two brilliant men into the national spotlight.
You just energized even more young people to vote you all out.
You just broadcast your racism to the world. #TenneseeThree
— Sari Beth Rosenberg (@saribethrose) April 7, 2023
By expelling two Black members of the “Tennessee Three” instead of taking action to stop school shootings, Republicans just gave the Democratic Party bright young new heroes for the future!
Thank you Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson! ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/zwOVpvFEVj
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 7, 2023
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