Tennessee’s House expels 2 of 3 Dems for protests

In an extraordinary act of political retaliation, Tennessee Republicans on Thursday expelled two Democratic lawmakers from the state Legislature for their role in a protest that called for more gun control in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Nashville. The banishment of Reps.

Justin Jones and Justin Pearson was a move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures possess the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents.

The GOP supermajority in the House declined by a single vote to expel a third Democrat, Rep. Gloria Johnson. Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol on Thursday to support the Democrats, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loudly. Any expelled lawmakers would be eligible for appointment back to their seats. They would also be eligible to run in the special election, and under the Tennessee Constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled for the same offense twice.