The churn of local politics rarely makes national news unless the outlet happens to be C-SPAN, but headlines, history and careers were made during proceedings at Tennessee’s State Capitol on Thursday when a GOP supermajority voted to expel two of three Democratic legislators for their participation in a gun control rally.
In a brazen act of political retribution, Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson were accused of “violating decorum rules” for their part in a protest last week on the House floor following a mass shooting at a private school in Nashville where six people — including three 9-year-olds — were slain. Jones and Pearson, who are Black, were expelled by the Republican legislators. Johnson, who is White, was not. And it was all caught on live feeds from the chamber and local news outlets.
The vote was stunning, even now, when defying the rule of law is practically a badge of honor among many right-wing leaders. The ousting was so brazen it could have been pulled from another era, before social media or smartphone cameras, when decisions made in smoke-filled rooms shaped politics and the authoritarian impulses of local officials could be more easily hidden from the rest of the country.
