7th April, 2023
Democratic lawmaker, Gloria Johnson has just escaped expulsion from the Republican-control Tennessee House of Representatives over her participation in gun-control protest.
Johnson is one of the three Democratic lawmakers who faced expulsion from the House after they broke the House’s rule to participate in a gun-control protest in Tennessee following he Nashville school shooting where three pupils and three adults were shot dead by a lone female shooter.
Reps Justin Jones was earlier expelled from the house. The party-line vote was 72-25. Expulsion from the Tennessee House requires a two-thirds majority.
The second lawmaker, Johnson survived narrowly. The House could not reach a two-third majority for her expulsion.
The vote for Johnson’s expulsion was 65-30.
The third lawmaker, Justin Pearson, also faces a possible vote on his removal from office Thursday.
Protesters had flooded the state Capitol on Thursday as the legislators were set to take up three resolutions filed by GOP lawmakers Monday seeking to expel Jones, of Nashville, Johnson of Knoxville and Pearson of Memphis, a step the state House has taken only twice since the 1860s.
The three lawmakers admitted to have broken the the House’s rule by their action in leading the protest.
The so-called “Tennessee three” admitted they broke House rules and stripped of committee assignments and lost ID access to the state Capitol.
Pearson said “Yes, I can tell you we broke House decorum rules, going to the well when you’re not called on, and I understand that.”