The Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two of three Democratic lawmakers who joined protesters demanding gun-control legislation after the March 23 Nashville school shooting.
The two expelled legislators are Black, and the third legislator is white and was saved by one vote.
The Washington Post reports that the House expelled Reps. Justin Jones, Rep. Justin Pearson in a historic retaliation for the gun-control protest.
The House also voted to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, who is white, but they did not have enough votes.
The vote to oust Jones was 72- 25 and 69-26 for Pearson. Johnson was saved by one vote with a final count of 65-30.
The three legislators marched with hundreds of children and adults protesting gun violence on March 30 in front of the Tennessee State Capitol building to prompt lawmakers to pass gun-control legislation before also protesting on the House floor. The march came just days after the most recent school shooting in Nashville where six people were shot and killed, including three 9-year-old children. Supporters cheered for Jones and Pearson following the vote to expel them.
Only two other Tennessee lawmakers have been expelled since the Civil War. One was for sexual misconduct and the other for fraud, according to NPR.
Jones spoke after the vote and said the majority white, majority-Republican House destroyed democracy. He also noted past members’ behavior that did not result in expulsion.
“We had a member pee in another member’s chair in this chamber — no expulsion. In fact, they’re in…
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