Tennessee Democrats take full advantage of national spotlight: Key takeaways from expulsion debate

The eyes of the nation were on the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday as members of the Republican supermajority ousted two young Black Democrats from the body as punishment for violating chamber decorum by leading a raucous gun-control protest inside the chamber, bringing the House business to a halt.

Democrats took full advantage of the spotlight.

Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, were expelled from their elected seats in partisan votes during a six-hour expulsion hearing on Thursday. Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, survived expulsion by a single vote, as seven Republicans broke with their party and voted to keep her in office.

They leveraged the national spotlight, accusing the Republican supermajority of shutting their voices out of the legislative process, and highlighting misdeeds of former Republican House members who did not face censure.

While Johnson successfully defended her actions by focusing her defense on specific accusations, Jones and Pearson claimed Republicans’ move to oust them was fueled by racial prejudice and would bring an “end to democracy.”

For hours, the two held court from the House chamber, giving rousing speeches in their defense and continuing their calls for gun control. They did so on a stage they didn't have before as two freshman lawmakers.

Expulsion vote: GOP expels Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson from House over gun-control protest

Meanwhile, Republicans spent much of their time trying to get the three to repent for their rule violations, or admit wrongdoing — which they were adamantly denied. Several GOP members argued that representing constituents with activism is not a valid basis for violating chamber rules to which every representative is bound. They also argued that if Jones and Pearson genuinely wanted to bring the change they’re calling for, they should “file a bill.”

Were two young Black men forced out of elected office and 140,000 Tennesseans disenfranchised by a racist totalitarian Republican supermajority that rules the legislature with an iron grip? Or did Republicans take justified action within House rules to deal consequences on two members who held the chamber hostage by leading a protest instead of sponsoring legislation to bring the change they called for?

Here are key takeaways from the historic day at the state Capitol.

Democrats took advantage of national platform

Democrats have little legislative power in the Tennessee General Assembly. So when the spotlight turned on them, they took full advantage of the opportunity.

Jones and Pearson, two millennial lawmakers, knew how to work the cameras from the moment they arrived at the Capitol. Through the throng to the chamber, they walked slowly — as if to a funeral dirge. Pearson and Johnson raised their clasped hands, and Johnson held Jones’ arm. Jones wore a white suit and white shoes, the color of innocence — a nod to his earlier claim of political martyrdom.

“Today is Maundy Thursday, the day of betrayal,” Johnson’s attorney, former Rep. John Mark Windle said in her defense. “Isn’t it fitting these allegations are made during Holy Week?”

The trio have characterized the expulsion proceedings as a “political lynching,” and highlighted racial dynamics they said were at play.

The vote: How Tennessee lawmakers voted in Thursday's House expulsion debate

Tennessee three: What you need to know about the expulsion of Democratic TN lawmakers

“What we see today is just a spectacle,” Jones said during his defense. “What we see today is a lynch mob assembled to not lynch me, but our democratic process.”

In an effort to draw attention back to calls for gun reform, all three Democrats repeated the names of the six victims who were killed at The Covenant School on March 30. But repeatedly during his defense, Pearson mispronounced the name of 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs, daughter of a pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church and one of the victims in the shooting.

Several times during his speech, Jones dramatically paused to drink water as protestors outside the House chamber cheered in response, the sounds carrying inside.

At one point, Jones reprised the call he made one week before from the same podium: “no action, no peace.”

Crowds watching on screens outside echoed back, as Jones took a dramatic pause.

Representation or activism?

Calling out Republicans for not recognizing thousands of protestors outside, the trio said Thursday they were compelled to protest with bullhorn, breaching House protocol, because they needed to represent their constituents, but Republicans refused to call on them.

“I am able to speak because the people of my district sent me here,” Jones said. “Speaker Sexton is not my constituent. Speaker Sexton is not a king. Speaker Sexton is not God, though he may want to be. I don’t know how many times the speaker has gaveled me out of order for simply doing my job as a representative.”

Republicans criticized them, arguing that as elected representatives, they already had the power to propose the policy changes they were calling for during the protest. And, as elected representatives, they are obliged to follow the rules of the chamber.

“You know what you could do? You could maybe compile a piece of legislation that could do that, instead of sitting back and criticizing folks who have worked really hard for the past two decades to do so,” said Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, who sponsored the resolution to expel Pearson. “If you want to conduct business in this house, file a bill. Be recognized, stand there and present it, and pass it.”

House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, argued that in interrupting and holding the House hostage during their protest, the three stifled the voices of the millions of constituents represented by other members.

“You came to the well of this chamber and silenced 96 other voices,” Lamberth said. “You don’t seem like you believe that any of us care about our constituents as much as you care about yours.”

GOP supermajority accused of shutting Democrats out

All three Democrats accused Republicans of shutting the Democratic minority out of the legislative process by cutting off microphones during debate, refusing to call on Democrats, and “calling the question” (a legislative action that ends debate on a bill) before Democrats have had time to weigh in.

“Each of you have an obligation to stop turning the people's house into your own club,” Pearson said. “The folks that sit in committees with you, who got elected just like you, who swore the same oath that you swore – they deserve a voice in these committee rooms. And we deserve a break on this House floor.”

During debate, other Democrats chimed in, accusing Republican leadership of killing their bills, only allowing certain members to have their bills passed, requiring Democrats to submit questions in advance for certain committee proceedings, and not calling on Democrats during committee meetings and at times on the House floor.

“The erosion of democracy in the state legislature is what got us here,” Pearson said. “It wasn’t walking up to the well: it was being disruptive to a status quo that silences the minority.”

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Sexton, disputed the claims during a news conference after the expulsion votes, saying that since he took up the speaker’s gavel “more voices have been heard.” He said more Democratic bills have been passed, noting that six bills sponsored by Democrats passed Thursday on the House floor.

“You were here. You saw it. Those were good bills that made it through committee and made it to the floor,” Sexton said. “We’re not upholding their bills. We’re not pushing back their bills. We’re not purposely killing their bills.”

Aired GOP’s dirty laundry from years past, hurled personal accusations

Several Democrats argued that expulsion – a nuclear option – was far to heavy a penalty for a minor rule infraction, especially when compared to those of some Republican colleagues who faced federal investigations and indictment, criminal charges, or committed other undignified actions, but never faced expulsion.

“For years, one of your colleagues who was an admitted child molester sat in this chamber: no expulsion,” Jones said during his speech. “One member sits in this chamber who was found guilty of domestic violence: no expulsion. We had a former Speaker sit in this chamber who is now under federal investigation: no expulsion. We have a member still under federal investigation: no expulsion. We had a member pee in another member’s chair in this chamber: no expulsion.”

For instance, former House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, is currently under federal indictment on corruption-related charges. He did not run for reelection amid the federal charges, but no action was taken to remove him from his seat. No action was taken against former Rep. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, who faced child sexual abuse allegations from decades earlier.

In response, Rep. Sabi “Doc” Kumar, R-Springfield, accused Jones of having called him “brown face” after a recent committee hearing.

“In all those 53 years in America, I have never encountered a racial slur. I’m really not sure any of that applies to me. I live a good life,” Kumar said. “Yet, you on tape called me a ‘brown face.’ Yes, sir. It’s on tape. It’s on tape. You called me that after a committee meeting on that same day. … You shoved your finger in my face and said, ‘Kumar, they will never accept you.’ You said it twice, and you were so intimidating that the sergeant at arms without my invitation came in to intervene between us.”

Jones later explained from the podium that he had said Kumar “put a brown face on white supremacy.” Kumar is the only non-white member of the Republican caucus.

The end of democracy?

Throughout the proceedings, the three Democrats declared that their expulsion would signal the “end of democracy” in Tennessee. Spectators outside seemed to agree.

“Fascists! Fascists!” some chanted.

“Shame! Shame!” others said.

To both the media and those in the House chamber, Pearson and Jones characterized their expulsions as “a sad day for democracy,” an “attack on democracy,” “persecution,” and an attempt to “disenfranchise our constituents.”

But expulsion proceedings did not breach the chamber’s rules and protocol, or the state Constitution. The legislature has wide latitude to conduct its own business.

Appointing authority for an interim member now goes to county legislative bodies, where Nashville’s Metro Council has already set a special meeting during which Jones will likely be reappointed. Special elections to formally re-fill Jones and Pearson’s seats would likely come this summer and fall.

Thursday afternoon, Jones reactivated his campaign fundraising website. By Friday morning, a “Tennessee Three” political action committee was formed to fundraise for their reelection.

Both the Tennessee Republican Party and Tennessee Democratic Party are also fundraising.

GOP sought contrition

Throughout their cross examinations of the three, Republicans sought their remorse and contrition for interrupting the House.

Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, repeatedly tried to get Johnson to apologize, saying he didn’t “see any remorse”

“What you've heard here this afternoon from the representative from Knox County is not contrition,” Bulso told colleagues. “She's not even willing to agree with me on anything that her conduct was disorderly or that she disrupted the proceedings.”

After the vote, Sexton said that he was told that the three planned to apologize on Monday evening – as is a usual practice on the House floor when personal disputes arise.

“The Democratic caucus told me that Monday night they were going to stand up individually and apologize. They never did. I do not know why,” Sexton said. “It's hard to go back and say if it would have made a difference because it never happened.”

On Thursday, none of the three were contrite.

“I will apologize when the speaker and you all apologize to the families of Covenant,” Jones said. “When you apologize to the families from the Waffle House. When you apologize to the many countless victims of gun violence because of your reckless laws that proliferate weapons of war in our communities.”

Still, Republicans said that if the two come return as interim appointments or get reelected, they would welcome them back, provided they follow House rules.

Bulso said so during the debate. So did Sexton.

"If the people of their district wish to reelect them, they can do so," the speaker said after the vote. "That's the process."

And on Thursday night, the House GOP caucus, while accusing the Democrats of violating state law, said much the same.

"If elected to come back and serve their constituents in the Tennessee House of Representatives, we hope they will act as the thousands who have come before them - with respect for our institution, their fellow colleagues, and the seat that they hold. We look forward to continuing to defend the voices of ALL Tennesseans," the Republicans said in a statement.

To what extent did race come into play?

Republicans expelled two young Black lawmakers, but fell one vote short of expelling a white woman. Since the vote, Jones, Pearson and others have framed their expulsions as an act of racism by the overwhelmingly white Republican supermajority.

“The state in which the Ku Klux Klan was founded is now attempting another power grab by silencing the two youngest Black representatives and one of the only Democratic women in this body,” Jones said. “That is what this is about.”

Republican leaders dispute that race had anything to do with how members voted. Lamberth told reporters Thursday that representatives who voted not to expel Johnson did so based on evidence presented during the hearing.

Related: Republicans' expulsion of 2 Black members draws comparisons to Tennessee's 'dark history'

“Our members literally didn't look at the ethnicity of the members that were up for expulsion,” Lamberth said. “The strength of the evidence against two of the representatives was stronger than the other. Representative Johnson said very clearly from the well, that she didn't chant, that she didn't have a sign, and that she didn't have a bullhorn. Our members took into account the evidence that was presented and that's what they made the decision on.”

House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, told reporters Thursday that the members likely felt “some racial undertones” to the vote “because of their experience in the halls of this General Assembly.”

Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, came in with Jones in the 2023 freshman class and said she's watched “a lot of political bullying going on behind the scenes” directed at Jones.

“This idea that he and Rep. Justin Pearson must apologize is a mindset set in white supremacy. A mindset that we, as Black folks are not on par or peers to them, and we must be inferior and subservient to their demands,” Oliver said. “I can't tell you how many times Rep. Jones has come into my office after something has happened on the elevator, or a conversation with leadership where they called him a worthless human being. That's not leadership.”

Rep. Jesse Chism, D-Memphis, said Thursday's expulsion hearings looked like a “Jim Crow-era trial.”

“We saw two Black men fighting for their careers, fighting for their reputations, fighting for their political lives,” Chism said.

Members of the Black Caucus, who flanked Jones as he defended himself on Thursday night, followed the former representative out of the House chamber after the vote. Many were fighting back tears, Chism said, which finally spilled when they returned to their desks without Jones.

“It was a shame to see some of the smirks, some of the smiles, that some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle had when they saw our tears,” Chism said. “Yesterday was a shame. The world saw it. Anybody on that side of the aisle that voted to remove our members should be ashamed of themselves.”

Melissa Brown contributed to this report.

Reach Vivian Jones at vjones@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee gun protest fallout: Analysis after House GOP expulsion