Tennessee GOP Poised To Expel 3 Dem Lawmakers From Statehouse

Republicans in control of the Tennessee House of Representatives are set to vote on Thursday on the expulsion of three Democratic members who participated in a gun-control protest at the statehouse last week. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the statehouse on Friday, four days after a fatal Nashville school shooting left three 9-year-old children and three school staff members dead. During the protest, three Democratic lawmakers stood on the House floor with a bullhorn and led the chanting of demands for stricter gun laws.

In the resolutions for the expulsion of the three lawmakers, Republicans accused them of creating chaos and said they knowingly brought disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through collective and individual actions. The expulsion vote is probable to pass easily in the Republican-dominated House and will result in the removal of Rep. Gloria Johnson, Rep. Justin Jones, and Rep. Justin Pearson. However, the accused lawmakers maintain that they were within their First Amendment rights to participate in the protest.

The resolution to expel the lawmakers was filed on Monday by Republican Representatives Andrew Farmer, Gino Bulso, and Bud Hulsey. The resolutions passed preliminarily on Monday with a 72-23 vote along party lines. Only two Tennessee state representatives have been expelled by their colleagues since the Civil War era: one in 1980 for soliciting a bribe in exchange for blocking legislation, and another in 2016 after being accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women. Both expulsions were made with overwhelming, bipartisan votes.

Rep. Justin Jones voiced his opposition to the expulsion on Twitter: “It’s morally insane that a week after a mass shooting took six lives in our community, House Republicans only response is to expel us for standing with our constituents to call for gun control. What’s happening in Tennessee is a clear danger to democracy all across this nation.” The Tennessee Democratic Party is raising funds to support Johnson, Jones, and Pearson in special elections that will be conducted if they are expelled.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; editing by Donna Bryson and Diane Craft)