Representatives Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, were both removed from the House with votes falling along party lines, in a disciplinary measure that has only been used twice since the 1800s. The votes were 72 - 25 and 69 - 26, respectively. They represent a combined constituency of about 130,000 people.
On the other hand, Representative Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, who represents about 70,000 Tennesseans, escaped the same fate by a single vote, with a final count of 65 - 30. Following the failed vote, reporters asked Johnson if she thought there was a reason she had a different outcome.
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She responded by suggesting that it might have to do with the color of their skin. Both Jones and Pearson are Black, and Johnson is white.
April 07, 2023
The expelled lawmakers conceded they didn't follow decorum by walking on the floor — what is called the well — and speaking without being formally recognized. Republicans said the trio's actions amounted to an insurrection. The trio, whom supporters call "The Tennessee Three," have already been stripped of their committee assignments.
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Lawmakers began to consider expelling three of their colleagues shortly after 1 p.m. local time. During the proceeding, loud protests could occasionally be heard from off the chamber's floor.
A motion was adopted to allow Johnson, Pearson, and Jones 20 minutes each to speak on their own behalf, including time for their attorneys. Jones was the first of the three to address the chamber, explaining his actions on the floor on March 30.
"The world is watching Tennessee," he said. "What is happening here today is a farce of democracy." He called the majority Republican membership, many of whom have said they would vote to expel the members, a "lynch mob" that is eager to enact the "ultimate punishment" against himself, Johnson, and Pearson.
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Pearson also disputed that he and the others disrupted the day's proceedings with their protest. "I didn't disrupt proceedings between 10:50 to 11:42 because it wouldn't have been possible. We were in a recess," he said. "None of us believed that we were doing anything that deserved expulsion from the House," he explained, adding that the House rules dictate that a member who violates the rules of decorum should face "censure" and not "expulsion."
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Republicans immediately criticized the three lawmakers for disrupting order and breaking procedural rules in the chamber, in a disruption they say lasted nearly an hour. House Speaker Cameron Sexton compared the incident to Jan. 6: "What they did today was equivalent, at least equivalent, maybe worse depending on how you look at it, to doing an insurrection in the State Capitol," he said.
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The Tennessee Constitution's Article II, Section 12 empowers the House to "punish its members for disorderly behavior" and to expel members with a two-thirds majority vote. Jones' and Pearson's seats will become vacant.
Because the 2024 general election is more than 12 months away, their districts will hold special elections to fill the seats. The representatives' county commissions can also choose to appoint an interim lawmaker to serve until a special election is held.
Expelled representatives can return to their office — by being appointed by the commission and/or running again. The state constitution also says a lawmaker can't be expelled a second time for the same offense.
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