Jones at one point took a long pause, taking a few sips of water, allowing the chants of 'whose house, our house,' to flow into the chamber from the crowd gathered outside. What we see today is a lynch mob assembled to not lynch me, but our democratic process.' 'What is happening here today is a situation in which the jury has already publicly announced the verdict.

'What is happening here today is a farce of democracy,' Jones said at the beginning of his 20-minute defense, after gazing up at a packed gallery holding signs in his defense. Still, with the expulsions, Republican leadership have elevated the two lawmakers’ political profiles, possibly with little long-term gains for the chamber as Pearson and Jones could be reappointed to their seats within days or weeks. With the expulsions, Republicans removed two of the youngest Black lawmakers in the General Assembly, further reducing an already small minority caucus. Tennessee three: What to know about the House Democrats targeted for expulsion by Republicans View Gallery: Tennessee House GOP to expel three Democrat lawmakers amid protests

The debate drew widespread attention beyond Tennessee, with the nation's eyes on the Volunteer State and thousands of protesters objecting to the expulsion. The historic, party-line expulsion process has roiled political tensions as the state continues to grapple with the deadliest school shooting in its history. The effort to expel Johnson failed on a 65-30 vote, as chants 'Gloria! Gloria!' rang out in the House chamber.

Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, out of the chamber. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, 69-26, in a move that put the nation's eyes on Tennessee and its politics.īut the House failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to kick Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, on a 72-25 vote, and Rep. Ten days after a shooter unloaded 152 rounds at a Nashville school and killed six people, Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday expelled from the General Assembly two Democratic lawmakers for breaking House rules and mounting a gun-reform protest on the chamber's floor.Īfter hours of fiery debate, the House expelled Reps. Watch Video: Tennessee House expels two Democrats amid gun reform protests

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