Tennessee Three Member Justin Jones Reinstated Unanimously by Nashville City Council
Just days after the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two members of the Tennessee Three, the Nashville City Council unanimously voted to reinstate Justin Jones.
The Tennessee Three grabbed national headlines after the three Democratic lawmakers protested against gun violence during a Tennessee House session. The Tennessee House Republican leadership cut their microphones off, so the three lawmakers decided to continue their speech through a bullhorn. This prompted the Republicans to want to expel the three of them, and succeeded with the two, including Justin Jones.
However, three days after the Tennessee House Republicans voted him out, the Nashville City Council unanimously voted to get him his job back. According to the BBC, they held a special session just for Jones' reinstatement, and the vote was a resounding 36-0 in favor of his reinstatement.
After the vote, Jones was once again sworn in on the steps of the Tennessee Capitol on Monday evening. He was surrounded by a crowd of his supporters.
"I want to welcome democracy back to the people's house," he said after returning to his job. "Truth crushed to the ground will rise again. No injustice attack on democracy will happen unchallenged."
As for the other expelled member of the Tennessee Three, a Memphis board of commissioners is expected to vote on allowing Justin Pearson to reclaim his seat this Wednesday.
Who Are the Tennessee Three?
According to USA Today, Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville, and Justin Pearson of Memphis make up the Tennessee Three. They are getting traction nationwide because of their outspoken criticisms of their Republican colleagues following the deadly school shooting in Nashville last month.
While Johnson, a white woman, narrowly avoided being expelled by the Republican supermajority, Jones and Pearson were both young black men. Johnson herself pointed out that she was safe because of the color of her skin, but her colleagues weren't.
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House Republicans argued that they breached chamber rules and did not follow House decorum when they approached the podium when they were not allowed to speak and then grabbed the bullhorn when their microphone was cut off.
Republicans also likened their actions to January 6, but many have pointed out that unlike January 6, the three weren't trying to overturn election results through a violent insurrection.
Johnson is a former teacher who lost a student to gun violence. Meanwhile, Justin Jones is an activist who has led protest movements and is an advocate of voting access, Medicaid expansion, and representation of working-class and minority residents.
Finally, Pearson was a young grassroots organizer in Memphis who rallied for the environment before joining the Tennessee State House.
Tennessee Three Spoke With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris After Two of Them Were Expelled
On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris went to Nashville and gave a rousing speech supporting the Tennessee Three. She also met with them and acknowledged them during her speech that blasted the Tennessee State House of Representatives for expelling them.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden spoke with the Tennessee Three via conference call and invited them to visit the White House, according to CBS News.
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Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: 'Tennessee Three' speak out on lawmakers' expulsion and possible reinstatement - Good Morning America