One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature.
The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council restores Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat. Moments after the decision, Jones began marching to the Capitol.Republicans banished the two lawmakers over their role in a gun-control protest on the House floor in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting.
Before the special council session was to begin, a couple of hundred people gathered in front of the Nashville courthouse, and more were pouring in. Some held signs reading, “No Justin, No Peace.” Inside the courthouse, a line of people waited outside the council chambers for the doors to open. Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s spokesperson, Doug Kufner, indicated that whoever is appointed to the vacancies by the Nashville and Shelby County governments “will be seated as representatives as the constitution requires.”
“The world is watching Tennessee,” attorneys for Jones and Pearson wrote to Sexton in a letter Monday. “Any partisan retributive action, such as the discriminatory treatment of elected officials, or threats or actions to withhold funding for government programs, would constitute further unconstitutional action that would require redress.”
As protesters filled galleries, the lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant. The scene unfolded days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school where six people were killed, including three children.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Expelled from Tennessee House, Two Black Lawmakers Will Run AgainTwo former Black Democratic lawmakers expelled by Republicans in Tennessee say they want their seats back. They were ousted for protesting on the House floor for gun control after a deadly school shooting.
Lire la suite »
Ousted Black lawmaker could soon return to Tennessee HouseOne of the two Black Democrats who was thrown out of the Tennessee House last week appeared likely to get his seat back soon
Lire la suite »
Ousted Black lawmakers could soon return to Tennessee HouseMembers of the Nashville council have said publicly that they want to send Jones back to the Capitol. The vote will happen as state lawmakers hold their first floor sessions since the expulsion vot…
Lire la suite »
Ousted Black lawmaker could soon return to Tennessee HouseGOP leaders in Tennessee said the actions were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers’ disruptions of proceedings through protest would be tolerated.
Lire la suite »
Tennessee House GOP Expels 2 Black Democrats In Retaliation Over Gun Control ProtestTennessee Republicans expelled two Black freshman lawmakers for their participation in a gun control protest yet declined to remove a third Democratic lawmaker, who is white and who participated in the same demonstration on the state House floor last week. What do you think?
Lire la suite »