A second Democratic legislator has been restored to his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives after he was controversially expelled from the Republican-controlled chamber for taking part in a gun control protest.
Representative Justin Pearson faced expulsion along with Representatives Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson for taking part in the protest on the House floor in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nashville that left three children and three adults dead.
The move represented only the third time since the United States Civil War that the chamber had moved to expel a legislator, and the first time the legislators in question did not face allegations of criminal activity or serious misconduct. The action was decried by the White House and state legislators across the country, who called the expulsion “undemocratic”.
Tensions further flared after Republicans voted to expel Pearson and Jones – both Black men and among the youngest members of the chamber – while narrowly allowing Johnson, a white woman, to stay in her seat. That prompted allegations of racial prejudice, with Johnson telling reporters she was likely spared because “I’m a 60-year-old white woman and they are two young Black men.”
On Wednesday, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 to restore Justin Pearson as a state representative. The appointment would be interim, and Pearson would need to win a special election in the coming months to stay in the seat.
In an op-ed for NBC News published after Wednesday’s vote, Pearson wrote: “We won’t be bent, we won’t be bowed, and we won’t be ordered to ignore the hearts and minds of the people who elected us, demanding commonsense gun safety in a state that has nearly none.”
“The GOP of the Tennessee House of Representatives attempted to obstruct me and my colleagues from these goals and to shred our democracy,” he wrote. “Instead, Republicans have only fanned the flames of hope that illuminate our movement, helping it to grow more powerful and glow more brightly.”
The Nashville Metropolitan Council had also unanimously voted on Monday to restore Jones to office, and he was quickly reinstated to his House seat. Both legislators have said they plan to run in their respective special elections.
The expulsions drew national attention to Jones and Pearson, including a visit last week by Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, to show support.
It also animated many voters in the Democrat-leaning cities they represent in the largely Republican-leaning state, while drawing further attention to permissive gun laws in Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Republican legislators have so far refused to consider placing any new restrictions on firearms in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.
They have instead advanced legislation designed to add more armed guards in public and private schools and are considering a proposal that would allow teachers to carry guns.
However, the state’s Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, signed an executive order on Tuesday strengthening background checks. He also called on lawmakers to pass so-called “red flag” legislation, which would allow law enforcement to seek a court approval to temporarily seize guns from individuals considered to be a threat to themselves or others.
Speaking to supporters before Wednesday’s vote, Jones said he and Pearson would both be at the Tennessee House on Thursday, and would call for Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton to resign.
He called Sexton an “enemy to multiracial democracy”.
“Rather than pass commonsense gun laws, they passed a resolution to expel the two youngest Black members in the General Assembly,” Jones said.
