When asked by reporters why Johnson was the only lawmaker to evade expulsion, she replied: «It could have to do with the color of our skin.»
His offense was joining protesters who rallied in Nashville last week to call for gun safety reform after a deadly school shooting left seven people dead, including the shooter. Members approached the lectern without being called by House Republican leaders and carried a megaphone to lead chants on the House floor, a stunt that temporarily suspended legislative business. House Speaker Cameron Sexton later compared his behavior to «an insurrection.»
After the final vote to impeach Pearson, the public gallery erupted with chants of «fascists» and «shame.»
Republicans dominate both houses of the state Legislature, and the GOP bolstered its supermajority in the midterms by winning more House seats. Democrats have just 23 seats to Republicans’ 75.
Nicknamed «the Tennessee Three» by their fellow Democrats, Jones, Johnson and Pearson represent the three largest cities in Tennessee.
Before the vote, Jones, a freshman lawmaker and community organizer, chided Republicans for failing to enact gun reform laws after multiple tragedies; inaction, he said, has sparked a movement for change.
“Your display of false power has awakened a generation of people who will let you know their time is up,” Jones, 27, warned Republicans.
Several Republicans questioned Jones about the order of events on the day of the protests, trying to frame them for rule violations. Republican Rep. Gino Bulso, a sponsor of the removal resolutions, said Jones «shows no remorse» when he addresses the chamber before the vote.
Johnson, a former teacher, recounted the story of the school shooting she experienced several years ago, where a student was killed. “You will never forget the trauma on those faces,” Johnson said of the students.
Johnson tearfully recited the names of the victims killed in the recent shooting at a private school in Nashville.
Pearson, 28, chided Republican leaders for pursuing removal rulings with «dogged determination» rather than seeing gun safety legislation as red flags or safe storage proposals.
“That is what I will continue to call, ask for, demand because we can do it,” he said.
In a video of the protest played before the vote, Johnson was standing next to Jones and Johnson, but she was not as vocal as the couple and is not seen using the megaphone in the footage. Johnson has served in the State House since 2019; she also served a previous term from 2013 to 2015 before being removed.
The Republican measure is notable for its overt partisanship and the speed with which it was carried out. The removal process for lawmakers is typically a bipartisan endeavor in most states, often involving internal investigations into criminal charges or misconduct. In Tennessee, only two other House members have been removed before today’s proceedings, both for criminal violations or sexual misconduct.
If all three members are ousted, special elections will be held in the three districts that encompass Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis. Nothing would prevent those members from participating in those races again. Johnson suggested in an interview with POLITICO that if she is ousted, she would try to return to the state chamber if her constituents so wish. The state constitution prohibits legislators from being removed from office twice for the same crime.
The GOP leadership could also face a lawsuit from members, though it’s unclear at this time on what grounds they might sue.
The drama has brought all three onto the national stage, as Democrats have rallied around them and tried to direct that attention toward enacting gun reform laws in Tennessee and beyond. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Tennessee Republicans are «shrugging off another school shooting.»
The ouster vote marks “yet another undemocratic effort to silence the American people for speaking out against the devastating consequences of gun violence,” said Neha Patel, co-executive director of the State Innovation Exchange, a nonprofit that supports lawmakers. progressive states. to letter posted on thursday which was signed by hundreds of lawmakers from across the country.
Jones, speaking to reporters after his expulsion, said the proceedings «don’t feel American.»
“Expelling voices of opposition and dissent is a sign of authoritarianism and it is very dangerous,” he said.
The photographs and biographies of Jones and Pearson were quickly removed from the state legislature’s website.