The expulsion of two Tennessee lawmakers for daring to speak out for gun control is a shocking assault on democracy and speech — in an era in which assaults on democracy and speech are becoming all too routine.
The majority Republican Tennessee House on Thursday ousted Democrats Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin J. Pearson of Memphis, and very nearly removed Democrat Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, ostensibly for breaching decorum the day after the horrific killing of three 9-year-olds and three adults at a Nashville school on March 29.
The three lawmakers’ offense — taking the podium without first being recognized, and riling up anti-gun protesters in the gallery — did indeed breach House rules, but a simple reprimand would have sufficed. Bouncing Jones and Pearson from office and disenfranchising their many thousands of constituents is a response wildly out of proportion to the conduct.
