NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 6 (Reuters) – Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives voted on Thursday to expel Justin Jones, the first of three Democratic members for his role in a gun control demonstration. at the statehouse last week.
Last Thursday’s protest saw hundreds of demonstrators flood the statehouse four days after a school shooting in Nashville ended with three 9-year-old children and three school staff members dead.
Three Democratic lawmakers stood on the House floor and used bullhorns to lead protesters in chanting calls for stricter gun laws. Republicans in resolutions calling for their ouster accused the three of engaging in “unethical conduct” and said they “have knowingly and intentionally brought trouble and embarrassment to the House of Representatives.” Representative through their individual and collective actions.”
The impeachment vote targeted Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. They say participating in the protest is within their First Amendment rights – the constitutional right to free speech.
[1/10] Protesters gather at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, US, April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Wurm
“It is morally insane that a week after a mass shooting took six lives in our community, House Republicans’ only response is to fire us for standing with our constituents to call for gun control, ” Jones wrote on Twitter this week. “What’s happening in Tennessee is a clear danger to democracy across the country.”
Protesters gathered outside the state house again in the rain on Thursday and packed the gallery above the House floor, holding signs in favor of stricter gun control.
Republican Representatives Andrew Farmer, Gino Bulso, and Bud Hulsey filed three resolutions on Monday to expel their Democratic colleagues. The resolutions on Monday passed in a preliminary vote along party lines, 72-23.
Only two Tennessee state representatives have been impeached by their colleagues since the Civil War era: one in 1980 for demanding bribes in exchange for obstruction of justice and another in 2016 after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. bad manners. Both expulsions were carried out with overwhelming, bipartisan votes.
The Tennessee Democratic Party has raised funds to support Johnson, Jones and Pearson in the special elections that will take place after the ousters.
Reporting by Brad Brooks; Editing by Mark Porter and Diane Craft
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