Tennessee Republican Abruptly Leaves Interview As CNN Grills Him On Expulsions

Table Of Content

• Tennessee lawmaker expulsions: Has this happened before?
• What Israel-Gaza student protesters are saying
• What to know about the "Tennessee Three": Why were two of the Democratic lawmakers expelled, and what happens now?
• Biden Puts GOP On Blast Over Expulsion Of Tennessee Democrats
• Why are Tennessee Democrats being expelled?
• Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson arrive on House floor

They would also need to clear a background check and undergo 40 hours of handgun training. Her censure is reminiscent of the Republican-controlled Tennessee state House of Representatives expulsion of two Democratic lawmakers in what marked the first partisan expulsion in the state's modern history. Zephyr said, "When the speaker asks me to apologize ... on behalf of decorum, what he's really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed."

Tennessee lawmaker expulsions: Has this happened before?

Before that, state lawmakers last ousted a House member in 2016 when the chamber voted 70-2 to remove Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham over allegations of improper sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office. The split votes drew accusations of racism, with lawmakers ousting Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who are both Black, while Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, survived the vote on her expulsion. Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, are also pushing forward on a proposed bill that would keep Johnson from appearing on the ballot multiple times for different offices in one election.

What Israel-Gaza student protesters are saying

"The expulsion of six members from the Tennessee legislature in July 1866 was for 'the contempt of the authority of this House,' " Vanderbilt University's Russell, a principal senior lecturer in political science, told NPR. Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville speaks before his colleagues voted to expel him from the House on Thursday. Constitutional scholars say such measures are very rare — and have uncertain consequences. The decision to return Jones to his seat came after the council voted to suspend a procedural rule that prevents an individual from being nominated and appointed to the seat in the same meeting. Magnet High School student Sheeva Azad was one of many who spoke during the student and teacher rally outside the Capitol.

What to know about the "Tennessee Three": Why were two of the Democratic lawmakers expelled, and what happens now?

Tennessee Three: Bill would block return of expelled lawmakers - Tennessean

Tennessee Three: Bill would block return of expelled lawmakers.

Posted: Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

"I will always stand on behalf of my constituents, my community, and democracy itself." The House voted to censure Zephyr, who is barred from participating from the House floor. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-dominant House on Wednesday spiked legislation that would have banned local governments from paying to either study or dispense money for reparations for slavery. Bringing guns into schools only adds risk, said the Vanderbilt University junior and volunteer with gun-control group Students Demand Action.

In 2019, lawmakers faced pressure to expel former Republican Rep. David Byrd over accusations of sexual misconduct dating to when he was a high school basketball coach three decades earlier. Republicans declined to take action, pointing out that he was reelected as the allegations surfaced. Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol to support Jones, Pearson and Johnson on Thursday, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber loudly enough to drown out the proceedings. GOP leaders said Thursday’s actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers’ disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated. The rapid and heavy-handed decision to deal with those actions through expulsion — rather than something less severe but meaningful, like voting to censure the legislators — has led to hand-wringing among Tennessee Republicans. Tennessee House Republicans were largely caught off guard by the intense national attention sparked by their decision to expel Jones and Pearson.

Why are Tennessee Democrats being expelled?

In addition to that, Seifter said, "politically motivated expulsions are likely to be unpopular and mobilize opponents." "Unlike other ways that state legislators may entrench their power or act in a countermajoritarian fashion (a pattern I've written about here), disciplinary actions are typically self-limiting," she added. It's especially rare for a legislature to expel members over actions relating to substantive policy disagreements.

Pearson joined the legislature via appointment, following the death of Rep. Barbara Cooper, D-Memphis, last fall. Like Jones, the 28-year-old rose through local advocacy circles, co-founding a grassroots organization now credited with stopping a proposed crude oil pipeline from cutting through South Memphis backyards. Sarah Neumann, the mom to a 5-year-old who attends The Covenant School, watched the expulsion hearings from the House gallery. Republicans insisted expulsion, the most extreme sanction available, was the right move to protect the integrity of the House and its rules. Tennessee House Republicans said on social media that if Jones and Pearson return to the House, they hope that the duo will "act as the thousands who have come before them — with respect for our institution, their fellow colleagues and the seat they hold."

The votes, held on Thursday, April 6, resulted in Justin Jones and Justin Pearson being expelled from the Tennessee State House of Representatives, while Gloria Johnson kept her seat by one vote. Late Tuesday, legislators were told they would be voting Wednesday on whether Zephyr "violated the rules, collective rights, safety, dignity, integrity or decorum of the House of Representatives" and if her actions warrant discipline. "When the speaker disallowed me to speak, what he was doing is taking away the voices of the 11,000 Montanans who represent who elected me to speak on their behalf," Zephyr said Wednesday in defense of protestors. "All representatives are free to participate in House debate while following the House rules; the choice to not follow House rules is one that Representative Zephyr has made," said House Speaker Matt Regier in a statement to reporters. A majority of states allow teachers to carry guns, usually with permission from the school district, though laws vary widely. The supermajority has left behind proposals that would require gun owners to lock up firearms and increase penalties for adults when children access guns and injure or kill someone.

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The House’s vote to remove Pearson and Jones but keep white state Rep. Gloria Johnson drew accusations of racism. Republican leadership denied that race was a factor, noting that Johnson’s role in the protest didn’t involve some steps that Jones and Pearson took, including speaking into a bullhorn. Republicans banished Pearson and state Rep. Justin Jones last week over their role in the protest on the House floor over the shooting, which left three children and three adults dead.

Tennessee State House votes to ‘silence’ Rep. Justin Jones, 1 of 2 Democrats expelled earlier this year - CNN

Tennessee State House votes to ‘silence’ Rep. Justin Jones, 1 of 2 Democrats expelled earlier this year.

Posted: Tue, 29 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The “Tennessee three,” as they’ve come to be known, face expulsion from the House for approaching the podium between bills during session last week without being recognized, a breach of chamber rules. Emotions ran high on Thursday morning after Jones opposed a school safety bill presented by Republicans, arguing it would further militarize schools while not addressing gun reform issues. Other Democrats said they were concerned the bill treats the "symptoms" of school shootings, not the problem. The Thursday vote was widely viewed as a certainty as soon as the Republican caucus voted to file expulsion resolutions.

His photo and bio have been removed from the Tennessee General Assembly's website, but on his campaign site, Jones describes himself as a Nashville activist and community organizer. Vice President Kamala Harris headed to Nashville to meet with them on Friday, and President Biden spoke with the three via conference call and invited them to visit the White House.

Pearson later said he could not "sit idly by" after lawmakers that day walked through a gauntlet of protesters, many of whom were teenagers, screaming for gun reform. Thousands of Tennesseans have marched en masse on the state Capitol three times in the 10 days since the tragedy, demanding gun reform measures the ruling party is hesitant, if not outright opposed, to publicly support. Before the House voted on Johnson's fate, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, argued there was not enough evidence to uphold the allegations in Johnson's expulsion resolution.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for a vote on resolutions to expel the three on Monday. Many democrats asked their colleagues to vote against expulsion, including Nashville Rep. Bob Freeman. After more than two hours of expulsion debate, House Republicans have voted to oust Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, from the Tennessee House of Representatives. While the House moved on from debate over Johnson's expulsion, Margo Price took to twitter to dispel claims that her megaphone was used on the house floor by Reps. Johnson, Jones and Pearson. House members turned to the final resolution to expel freshman Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis. Pearson was sworn in on Monday, March 27 - the day of the Covenant attack - after a special election which he won to fill the seat of the late Rep. Barbara Cooper.

In a subsequent tweet, she clarified, "Yes, it was my megaphone no, @VoteGloriaJ & @brotherjones never used it." Pearson also said the body should do more to educate new members on rules of decorum. During his remarks, Pearson referenced the names of the six Covenant victims several times, but repeatedly mispronounced the name of 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs. It wasn’t walking up to the well, it wasn’t being disruptive to the status quo, it was the silencing of democracy and it’s wrong,” Pearson said. Jones accused Bulso of calling him a "damned disgrace" in a private moment earlier this week.

The Tennessee House’s decision to expel two Black freshmen Democratic lawmakers fell along nearly party lines, with a few exceptions. “Our members literally didn’t look at the ethnicity of the members up for expulsion,” Majority Leader William Lamberth added. He alleged Jones and Pearson were trying to incite a riot last week, while Johnson was more subdued. Offered a chance to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack. The trio held hands as they walked onto the floor and Pearson raised a fist during the Pledge of Allegiance. Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not yet announced his 2024 plans, have not commented publicly on the expulsion of Jones and Pearson.

Expulsion resolution sponsor Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, asked Pearson about a letter he sent on Monday to every House member in which he took “full responsibility and accountability” for his actions. Pearson acknowledged responsibility, and said his goal was to bring attention to the issue of gun violence. Justin Jones said the expulsion was not a silencing of them as individuals, rather the silencing of an entire movement.“We’ll see you on Monday,” he said, referencing the special meeting already called by Metro Council to appoint an interim Representative. The trio has demurred this week on future plans, instead choosing to focus on the upcoming expulsion vote. Johnson on Monday indicated she was consulting with lawyers, though one attorney said pursuing a lawsuit could be an uphill battle given as the state Constitution gives the legislature express authority to discipline and expel its own members. "Rep. Jones represents thousands of people in this state whose voices have been silenced time and time and time again," she said.