by Hannah Nightingale at The Post Millennial
On Thursday, the Tennessee House voted to expel Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville after he was one of three Democrat lawmakers to lead a protest which saw people calling for gun reform force their way into the Capitol building.
According to NPR, the House voted 72-25 in favor of expelling Jones. The fates of Reps. Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson are yet to be decided.
The three Democrat lawmakers acknowledged that they didn’t follow rules of order and decorum by speaking without being formally recognized, with the Republican-led House using a disciplinary measure that has reportedly been used twice since the 19th century.
Republican lawmakers said that their three colleagues’ actions amounted to an insurrection.
On March 30, a large crowd amassed outside the Tennessee Capitol and entered the building. Footage taken that day showed the protestors storming the building, shouting at lawmakers, and filling the Senate chamber gallery.
In the House, Johnson, Jones, and Pearson interrupted the legislative session by approaching the podium without being recognized to speak and used bullhorns to call for gun control. The trio also led protestors in the galleries in a series of chants.
If the voting follows along party lines,…
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