April 10, 2023 - One of ousted Tennessee lawmakers heading back to House

Rep. Justin Jones speaks with CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Monday, April 10, 2023.

“Today was a powerful day and a testament to people power,” reinstated Rep. Justin Jones said Monday.

Jones, along with former Rep. Justin Pearson, was expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday after the two of them and fellow Democrat, Rep. Gloria Johnson, staged a demonstration on the floor calling for gun reform and leading chants with a bullhorn.

On Monday, he returned to the legislature after a unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council. Tennessee law allows local legislative bodies to appoint interim members to fill the seats of expelled lawmakers until an election is held.

Jones said being expelled and reinstated made him understand that “we need more representatives who are willing to risk a title to be with the people, to stand with the people. We need bold leadership.”

Now that he’s back in office, Jones was told he can file 15 bills – as he’s now technically a new member – which he said he plans to do by the end of the week.

Jones added, noting he’s 27 years old: “It’s time for a new generation of voices to step into their power here,” describing it as a movement to transform the community and the nation with “a new vision of a multicultural democracy.”

The Congressional Black Caucus released a statement Monday after Rep. Justin Jones was reinstated to his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

The caucus called for both Reps. Jones and Justin Pearson to be reinstated after the two of them were expelled Thursday after they and Rep. Gloria Johnson — who was not expelled — staged a demonstration on the House floor calling for gun reform and leading chants with a bullhorn.

Justin Pearson speaks with CNN's John Berman on Monday, April 10, 2023.

Former Rep. Justin Pearson told CNN’s John Berman he celebrated the fact that his colleague, Rep. Justin Jones, was reinstated Monday while also understanding another mass shooting had just taken place in Kentucky, not even a month after six people were gunned down in Nashville.

Pearson and Jones were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday after the two of them and Rep. Gloria Johnson staged a demonstration on the House floor calling for gun reform and leading chants with a bullhorn.

The chairman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners has called a special meeting for Wednesday to consider reappointing Pearson to his former seat.

If reinstated, Pearson didn’t directly answer if he’d break the rules of decorum again. Instead, he responded: “Sometimes rules have to be broken for people who have been pushed to the periphery to be brought to the center of the conversation.”

Former Rep. Justin Pearson stood on the steps of the Capitol with Justin Jones Monday, following the city council’s unanimous decision to reinstate Jones as an elected official, and told supporters “the movement lives.”

Pearson said that House members were wrong when they thought they could expel Justin Jones and the voice of the people.

Pearson told supporters that having a voice and a vision in the state House matters.

Rep. Justin Jones welcomed “the people back to the people’s house” while speaking on the House floor for the first time since being reappointed to his seat as an interim representative.

Jones and another Democratic lawmaker Rep. Justin Pearson were expelled from the state House last week over a demonstration for gun control.

Jones and Pearson are both Black. A third lawmaker, Rep. Gloria Johnson,  a White woman and Democrat who also participated in the demonstration, survived the vote and held on to her seat in the GOP-dominated chamber.

Justin Jones is sworn in after Nashville's Metro Council reappointed him to the House of Representatives, on Monday.

State Rep. Justin Jones was sworn back into his House District 52 seat as an interim representative Monday.

He took the oath on the steps of the state capitol in Nashville surrounded by a crowd of people.

The GOP-dominated House voted to expel the state representative last week after he and two other Democrats called for gun reform on the chamber floor.

The vote by Nashville Metropolitan Council on Monday to appoint Jones passed unanimously.

Rep. Justin Jones leaves the Metro Courthouse after being reinstated in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday.

Walking arm-in-arm with a crowd of what he described as thousands of people, Rep. Justin Jones walked back to the Tennessee state capital after the Nashville Metropolitan Council voted unanimously to reappoint him to the state House.

The council decided to send the ousted lawmaker back to occupy the House District 52 seat as an interim representative on Monday after he was expelled from his seat last week.

He said he hopes this sends a message to Republican leadership and state House Speaker Cameron Sexton that “the people will not let his crimes against democracy happen without challenge.” He called for Sexton to resign as the speaker.

Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson, who represents a district in another part of the state, were expelled over their gun control demonstration on the chamber floor following the deadly Nashville school shooting.

Jones said the first thing he plans to do when he gets back in the House is to continue to fight for gun reform.

He said people spoke through their elected local council members and that this is bigger than one person or position, that it’s a movement “to restore the soul and heart of what this building should represent and that is democracy,” he said pointing to the state capital building.

Justin Jones sits with supporters during a Metro Council meeting in Nashville, on Monday.

The Nashville Metropolitan Council on Monday voted to reappoint Justin Jones to Tennessee House of Representatives, sending the ousted lawmaker back to occupy the House District 52 seat as an interim representative.  

The decision to return Jones to his seat came after the council voted to suspend a procedural rule that prevents an individual from being nominated and appointed to the seat in the same meeting. 

The GOP-dominated House voted to expel the state representative last week after he and two other Democrats called for gun reform on the chamber floor

The vote to appoint Jones passed 36-0 with no one abstaining.  

Minutes before the Nashville Metropolitan City Council were to decide on whether or not to suspend rules and vote former Rep. Justin Jones as an interim member of the House of Representatives, Councilman Brett Withers urged his colleagues to place Jones back in his seat after the lawmaker was expelled Thursday along with former Rep. Justin Pearson.

Withers told Tapper he believes there will be enough votes to place Jones back in his seat and that the council is hearing from supporters throughout the state.

Withers said there are many in the community who want Jones back in his seat.

Withers told Tapper he believes that racism played a role in the expulsion and has been an issue in the General Assembly.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton talks with Rep. William Lamberth during expulsion proceedings for three House Democrats on the floor of the House chamber on Thursday, April 6, in Nashville.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton will not prevent ousted representatives Justin Jones or Justin Pearson from being seated if their local governing bodies appoint them to serve as interim representatives in their former districts, a spokesperson for the Republican Speaker’s office tells CNN. 

The Metropolitan Council in Nashville is expected to vote this afternoon during a called special meeting at 4: 30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m.ET).

The chairman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners has also called a special meeting to consider reappointing Justin Pearson to his former seat as the District 86 State Representative.

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, at 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET).

Justin Jones carries his name tag after a vote at the Tennessee House of Representatives to expel him for his role in a gun control demonstration at the statehouse in Nashville.

The Nashville mayor’s office has quietly been encouraging council members to vote to reinstate Justin Jones into his former seat as an interim successor, according to a metro official with knowledge of events happening.

At a special meeting called for Monday afternoon, the Metropolitan Council will officially announce the vacancy of the District 52 seat, then vote to nominate Justin Jones to fill the seat. 

Then, council members will vote to suspend the rule prohibiting an individual from being nominated and appointed within the same meeting allowing the council to vote to formally appoint Jones to the Tennessee House as soon as Monday afternoon. 

The special meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. ET).

The expulsion of Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson from the Tennessee House was a rare move. The House has only expelled two state representatives in the last 157 years.

The first expulsion, in 1980, was of a representative found guilty of accepting a bribe while in office, and the most recent came in 2016 when another member was expelled over allegations of sexual harassment.

Democratic Rep. Joe Towns called the move a “nuclear option.”

The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, Kathy Sinback, called the move in a statement a “targeted expulsion of two Black legislators without due process.”

“It raises questions about the disparate treatment of Black representatives, while continuing the shameful legacy of disenfranchising and silencing the voices of marginalized communities and the Black lawmakers they elect,” Sinback added.

Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were kicked out of the legislature by their colleagues in a vote Thursday. A third member also up for expulsion, Rep. Gloria Johnson, survived the vote, which required two-thirds majority support in the Republican-dominated chamber.

Jones’ and Pearson’s pictures and profiles had already been removed from the state’s General Assembly website, a symbol of the vacant seats that now need to be filled.

All three had been accused by Republicans of “knowingly and intentionally” bringing “disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives” after they led a gun control protest on the House floor last month without being recognized, CNN affiliate WSMV reported.

In the wake of a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, which killed three 9-year-olds and three adults, Jones said he and other lawmakers were blocked from raising the issue of gun violence on the House floor, with their microphones being cut off whenever they raised the topic, according to WSMV.

According to the expulsion resolutions, Jones, Pearson and Johnson “began shouting without recognition” during their protest and “proceeded to disrupt the proceedings of the House Representatives.” Video showed the trio using a bullhorn.

Republican leaders in the chamber condemned the lawmakers’ actions and moved quickly to remove their committee assignments and schedule a vote for their expulsion. Jones, Pearson and Johnson decried the Republicans’ actions as oppressive, vindictive and racially motivated. Jones and Pearson are both young, Black men while Johnson is a White woman.

Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton called their actions “unacceptable” and argued that they broke “several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor.”

District 29 council member Delishia Porterfield during a Metro Nashville Council meeting on February 7.

During Monday’s special meeting of the Metropolitan Council in Nashville, Delishia Porterfield, the person who ran against Justin Jones for the District 52 seat in the primary election and lost, is expected to nominate him to serve on an interim basis, Vice Mayor Jim Shulman told CNN’s Isabel Rosales.

If the council successfully suspends the rule prohibiting nominating and appointing an interim representative during same meeting, they will likely vote “on the board,” Shulman said. After the votes are counted, the results will be visible on the screen.

A simple majority — 21 of the 40 members — is required to appoint Jones.

In this November 2022 photo, Hendrell Remus, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, speaks in Nashville after election officials confirmed more than 200 votes have been cast in the wrong races in Nashville since early voting began.

As local leaders in Nashville prepare to potentially send an ousted lawmaker back to the Tennessee House of Representatives, a member told CNN Sunday that he is unaware of any threats of political retribution for their decision.

On Saturday, Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Hendrell Remus said Memphis and Shelby counties received threats that they could lose funding if they reinstate the other ousted state representative, Justin Pearson, until holding a special election.

“If that is the case, they need to stop with those kinds of threats. We need to ensure stability here amongst relations from the state and local municipalities,” Syracuse added.

How the vote will work: During Monday’s meeting, the council will vote on whether suspend the rules which typically do not allow a member to be nominated and appointed in the same meeting, Syracuse told CNN.

If two or more members oppose that process, the measure will fail. If that happens, it would be at least four weeks until the council could vote to appoint Jones back to his seat, Syracuse said.

Syracuse said he did not believe Jones deserved to be kicked out of the legislature.

Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis speaks with supporters after being expelled from the state Legislature on April 6 in Nashville.

Justin Pearson, one of two state lawmakers recently ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives for a gun control protest on the House floor, spoke in an Easter Sunday service at Church of the River in Memphis, thanking the congregation and the community for its support.    

“To District 86 I thank you for believing in me, for entrusting me and expecting me to serve as best as I possibly can,” Pearson said, during the Sunday service.  

Pearson referenced Martin Luther King Jr., noting the civil rights leader was killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis.   

“Fifty-five years ago this week, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by gun violence. I tell you what: His words, from what he spoke just days before he was assassinated, are still true. The movement lives or dies in Memphis.”     

Pearson repeated the phrase, “The movement lives or dies in Memphis,” as applause erupted throughout the church.   

Jason Pearson, the Memphis lawmakers’ father serves as pastor of the Community of Faith Christian Church. Before his son spoke, he led the congregation in prayer, and told the crowd: “There have been some hard days and some difficult moments.”   

“When somebody is crucifying your baby, it’s hard to be silent,” Jason said.  

The Tennessee House had only expelled two other representatives in the last 157 years, and the move required a two-thirds majority vote of the total membership.

Justin Pearson and Justin Jones raise their hands after being expelled from their seats in Nashville.

Just hours after the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic lawmakers, their pictures and profiles had already been removed from the state’s General Assembly website, a symbol of the vacant seats that now need to be filled.

Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were kicked out of the legislature by their colleagues in a vote Thursday. Focus in Tennessee is now on filling those two new vacancies.

Special election to come: According to the Tennessee Constitution, since there are more than 12 months until the next general election in November 2024, a special election will be held to fill the seats.

No date has been set for a special election but state law says the governor should schedule them within 55 to 60 days.

Temporary appointments: In the time between when a seat becomes vacant and when a special election can be held, “the legislative body of the replaced legislator’s county of residence at the time of his or her election may elect an interim successor,” the state Constitution says.

For Jones’ District 52 seat, the local legislative body is Nashville and Davidson County’s Metropolitan Council. The council has scheduled a special meeting on Monday afternoon to address the vacancy and possibly vote on an interim successor.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper has expressed his support for Jones and said on Twitter he believes the council will send him “right back to continue serving his constituents.”

Jones told CNN’s Don Lemon on Friday that if he’s appointed by the council, he will serve. “I have no regrets. I will continue to stand up for my constituents,” he said.

For Pearson’s District 86 seat, the local legislative body is the Shelby County Board of Commissioners in Memphis.

Commission chairman Mickell Lowery plans to call a special meeting regarding Pearson’s expulsion, CNN affiliate WMC reported, but the timing of the meeting isn’t yet known.

Pearson said he hopes to “get reappointed to serve in the state legislature.” Referring to the Shelby County commissioners, he said: “A lot of them, I know, are upset about the anti-democratic behavior of this White supremacist-led state legislature.”

Former Rep. Justin Jones prepares remarks for his expulsion proceedings in a room next to the House chamber on April 6 in Nashville.

Former Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones said he would “most definitely” serve his district again if appointed to do so. It comes after he and another Black lawmaker were expelled from their seats in the majority-GOP legislature Thursday for peacefully protesting gun violence alongside their constituents. 

Jones and the other ousted lawmaker, Rep. Justin Pearson, called for protesters to return to the Capitol when the House is back in session on Monday.

“That’s what we were asking for — the most very basic thing was to ban assault weapons so we can stop these mass shootings, instead they responded by assaulting democracy,” Jones said Friday.

A third representative on the chopping block, Rep. Gloria Johnson, a White woman, avoided expulsion by one vote.

“They retaliated not because of that one incident of us going to the well and joining those young people protesting gun violence, but because they got tired and did not feel like young Black men have a right to be at the same dais as them,” Jones said.

Nashville’s Metropolitan Council will vote next week to appoint an interim representative for Jones’ district, a role which Jones said he would happily step back into if he’s re-appointed. 

“We will fight for a multi-racial democracy, and so this extreme tactic to expel us and to try to humiliate us has only put a spotlight of the world on Tennessee,” he said. “I would go back because … I’m fighting for the future that I want to live in, that I want my children to live in. It’s worth whatever sacrifices that we have to give.” 

Addie Brue, 16, and Madeline Lederman, 17, shout "do something," with other protesters as Rep. Jeremy Faison, Chairman of the House Republican Caucus, walks towards the House chamber doors at the State Capitol Building in Nashville on March 30.

Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were voted out of the Tennessee House after advocating for gun reform without being recognized. The lawmakers’ protests followed the recent deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, which killed three 9-year-olds and three adults.

Jones, Pearson, and a third Democratic lawmaker — Rep. Gloria Johnson, who did not lose her seat — were accused by Republicans of breaking “several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor,” Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said.

Tennessee Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison told CNN that the caucus believed the issue did not need to be considered by an ethics committee and accused Jones and Pearson of having a “history” of disrupting floor proceedings.

“It’s not possible for us to move forward with the way they were behaving in committee and on the House floor,” Faison said. “There’s got to be some peace.”

The chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, Hendrell Remus, called the move a “direct political attack” on the party.

“Their expulsion sets a dangerous new precedent for political retribution,” a statement from the party said. “The day that a majority can simply expel a member of the opposing party without legitimate cause threatens the fabric of democracy in our state and creates a reckless roadmap for GOP controlled state legislatures across the nation.”

Rep. Sam McKenzie, chair of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, said the expulsion of Jones and Pearson overshadowed the issue they were protesting.

“This was not about that kangaroo court that happened yesterday. This was about those three young children and those three guardians, those three adults, whose lives were taken away senselessly,” McKenzie said.

Vice President Kamala Harris was in Nashville Friday to advocate gun control and meet with Democratic state lawmakers, including Jones, Pearson and Johnson, as well as other local advocates. She gave a fiery speech, saying the three lawmakers had led with courage and were reflecting the “cries,” “pleas” and “demands” of their constituents.

“We understand when we took an oath to represent the people who elected us that we speak on behalf of them,” she said. “It wasn’t about the three of these leaders. It was about who they were representing. It’s about whose voices they were channeling. Understand that – and is that not what a democracy allows?”

President Joe Biden called the lawmakers’ expulsion “shocking, undemocratic and without precedent” and criticized Republicans for not taking greater action on gun reform, according to a statement Thursday.

“Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee,” the president said.