Two of the three Democratic lawmakers who recently led a boisterous protest from the House floor pushing for gun control improvements were expelled by Tennessee's Republican-dominated House on Thursday in an unexpected action.
Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) were both expelled from the body in accordance with party lines, employing a sanction that has only been applied twice since the 1800s. The results were 72 to 25 in favour and 69 to 26 against. They represent a total of around 130,000 voters collectively.
Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, who represents about 70,000 Tennesseans, escaped the same fate by a single vote, with a final count of 65 - 30.
Following the failed vote, Johnson was asked by reporters if she thought there was a reason she'd had a
Republicans claimed that the trio had committed an act of revolt.
What happened on Thursday?
Lawmakers began to take up the question of expelling three of their colleagues shortly after 1 p.m. local time. During the proceeding, loud protests could occasionally be heard from off the chamber's floor.
The move to grant Johnson, Pearson, and Jones 20 minutes each to speak on their own behalf, together with time for their attorneys, was approved.
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The first of the three to speak in front of the group, Jones provided an explanation for his conduct on the well of the floor on March 30.
The world is looking at Tennessee, he declared. "This is a mockery of democracy," someone said.
He referred to the majority Republican membership, a significant portion of whom have stated they would vote to expel the members, as a "lynch mob" that is anxious to inflict the "ultimate penalty" against himself, Johnson, and Pearson.
"I speak for 78,000 people, and when I arrived at the well,
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