Tennessee Three Member Justin Pearson Also Reinstated Unanimously After Getting Expelled From Tennessee House

All three members of the Tennessee Three have returned to the Tennessee State House of Representatives after Justin Pearson was reinstated by Memphis officials. Much like fellow Tennessee Three member Justin Jones, the vote to reinstate Pearson was also unanimous.

"The message for all the people in Nashville who decided to expel us: You can't expel hope. You can't expel justice," said the Memphis representative during the meeting to reinstate him. "You can't expel our voice. And you sure can't expel our fight."

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners met to decide Pearson's fate, and all seven commissioners present at the meeting quickly voted 7-0 to give him back his job. Four Republican members did not attend the meeting.

During his reinstatement, the two other Tennessee Three members, Representative Justin Jones of Nashville, who was reinstated earlier this week, and Representative Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, the only Tennessee Three member who was not expelled from the State House, were also in attendance.

The Guardian described his reinstatement in Memphis as a "churchlike celebration," as jubilant supporters celebrated his reinstatement, with Pearson doing a rousing speech in front of them. "They've awakened a sleeping giant," he said as his supporters roared.

The Memphis congressman is set to return to the Tennessee State House of Representatives in Nashville on Thursday, reuniting the three Democrats with the Republican Supermajority, which expelled two of them. Pearson stated that he plans to be sworn in during the next State House floor session.

Chuck Schumer Calls For Investigations Into Tennessee Three Members' Expulsions

Several other Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, went to defend the Tennessee Three, which has now garnered national attention after they were expelled for their protest on the State House floor, calling for gun reform after the deadly school shooting in Nashville.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of California is among those Democrats, as he and four other senators sent a letter to the Department of Justice on Wednesday. They asked the DOJ to investigate whether the expulsions violated the Constitution or federal civil rights laws and "to take all steps necessary to uphold the democratic integrity of our nation's legislative bodies."

The Tennessee Three went to the House Floor of the Tennessee State Capitol to protest gun violence and call for gun reform. However, the Tennessee House Republicans cut off their microphone, prompting the three to use a bullhorn to air their grievances instead. This would lead to the expulsion of Pearson and Jones, while Johnson was narrowly spared by just one vote. Johnson, a white woman, pointed out that her colleagues were expelled due to them being black.

San Antonio Spurs Coach Greg Popovich Criticizes Republicans for Expelling the Tennessee Three

Multiple-time NBA championship-winning coach Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs also defended the three Tennessee Democrats and blasted Tennessee Republicans during an NBA press conference, according to Geo News.

Coach Pop lamented the Nashville school shooting before speaking out against gun violence, telling a reporter, "Well since you asked, what would it take to budge those people? What would it take?"

The legendary NBA coach added, "I mean, we've got two young Black guys in Tennessee who just got railroaded by a bunch of people that I would bet down deep in their soul want to go back to Jim Crow."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson reinstated week after being expelled - CBS News