Tennessee GOP lawmakers to vote on expelling Democrats in gun protest

Protesters gather outside the state Capitol Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn., to demand gun law reform. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee’s GOP-dominated House is preparing to vote Thursday on whether to expel three Democratic members for their demonstration calling for gun control following the Nashville school shooting, an extraordinary move that the chamber has used only a handful of times since the Civil War.

Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are the subjects of the ouster vote. Last week, the trio approached the front of the chamber floor and chanted back and forth with gun control supporters who packed the gallery days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville.

Their possible expulsion has once again thrust Tennessee into the national spotlight, underscoring not only the ability of the Republican supermajority to silence opponents, but also its increasing willingness to do so. The move sends a chilling message just as lawmakers grapple with how to respond to the devastating shooting.

Even before the House proceedings began, thousands flocked to the Capitol, loudly chanting to show their support for the so-called “Tennessee three.” Many traveled from Memphis and Knoxville, areas that Pearson and Johnson represent, and stood in a line that wrapped around the Capitol building to get inside.

Meanwhile, Johnson urged those in the gallery to remain calm and not shout at lawmakers to avoid getting removed. The three held hands as they walked onto the House floor and Pearson raised his fist to the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Expulsions in the Tennessee General Assembly are extremely rare and considered an extraordinary action.

In 2019, lawmakers faced pressure to expel former Republican Rep. David Byrd after he faced accusations of sexual misconduct dating to when he was a high school basketball coach three decades earlier. Republicans declined to take any action, pointing out that he was reelected as the allegations surfaced. Byrd retired last year.

Last year, the state Senate expelled Democrat Katrina Robinson after she was convicted of using about $3,400 in federal grant money on wedding expenses instead of her nursing school.

Before that case, state lawmakers last ousted a House member in 2016 when the chamber voted 70-to-2 to remove Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham after an attorney general’s investigation detailed allegations of improper sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office.

If Johnson, Jones or Pearson are expelled, the county commissions in their districts would get to pick replacements to serve until a special election in several months. The three would remain eligible to run in those.