NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A fierce political battle is taking place at the Tennessee State Capitol after last week’s deadly school shooting in Nashville. Since the shooting at The Covenant School, parents and students have been protesting and demanding new gun laws from the legislature.
Now, three state lawmakers could be expelled for their behavior during those protests. On Thursday March 30th, protestors came to the Tennessee Capital asking lawmakers for tougher gun laws.
Protestors filled the gallery in the Tennessee House, and below them, three house members, Representatives Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) on the house floor. Jones led protestors in the gallery with a megaphone chanting, “No Action, No Peace.”
“I do not regret speaking up on behalf of the mothers, of the fathers, of the brothers, siblings in Memphis and Shelby County, who have suffered from the effects of gun violence themselves,” said Representative Pearson.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Cumberland) says he was forced to suspend the house session and go into recess.
Three Tennessee House republicans filed three separate House Resolutions to remove the three house democrats from their elected positions. Representative Andrew Farmer (R- Sevierville) filed House Resolution 63 to expel Representative Pearson.
So far the three democratic lawmakers have been removed from their respective committees.
This conflict has drawn national attention. During an April 4 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this moment compares to “Shrugging in the face of yet another tragic school shooting.”
Now all eyes are on the decision on whether or not these lawmakers should be expelled or not. The house votes could take as soon as Thursday April 6, once the unfinished business section of the house meeting takes place.
“Thursday during unfinished business, we will have the opportunity, myself, Representative Jones, and Representative Johnson to defend ourselves, to speak about the issues that matter, and to protect the people’s voice, the people who got us into these seats to protect their voice in the state legislature,” said Pearson.
The three democrats are trying to convince a super majority of house republicans to keep them. According to the Tennessee House website, as it stands now, there are 75 House republicans and 23 House democrats.
If Pearson is expelled, 63,660 people in his district would not have house representation for months. For context, District 86 stretches from Harbortown, through Downtown and Southwest Memphis.
Across all three districts, close to 200,000 people could have their voices impacted.
“So it really comes down to, how many republicans think the behavior was egregious enough to kick them out of a duly elected office,” said Otis Sanford, Political Analyst & Commentator, “Another special election that’s costly and time consuming would have to be called at some point, I imagine the governor would have to call that.”
A spokesperson for the Shelby County Election Commission told ABC24 it is too early to consider when a special election would be held ‘If’ house republicans expel Justin Pearson.
Pearson won a special election himself after Representative Barbara Cooper died two weeks before election day in November 2022. Pearson won that special election two and a half months after election day in January 2023.