Tennessee Republicans Expel Democrats Over School Shooting Protest: What You Need to Know

Traversing human existence in 2023 can feel daunting, and often downright futile, when you’re reminded of the scale of the ever-present and permanently unbothered opposition—especially in the South. This was laid particularly bare with Tennessee Republicans’ move to expel two Democratic lawmakers this week following a protest spurred by the recent murders of children at a school in Nashville.

Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson were both expelled from the state Legislature on Thursday, while another Democrat—Rep. Gloria Johnson—was spared. Not only did the expulsions mark an exceptionally rare occurrence in the state and elsewhere, but the carrying out of these banishments also stood as an existentially depressing though sadly not surprising display of sheer retaliation from gun-loving Republicans in the state.

Typically, these types of votes have been reserved for lawmakers who have been proven to have engaged in actual crimes. In Tennessee, per the Tennessean, the State House had expelled just eight lawmakers prior to Jones and Pearson. Of those, six were expelled way back in 1866 for trying to block the ratification of the 14th Amendment.

Below, we take a look at what has transpired at the hands of firearm-loving Republicans in Tennessee this week, as well as what could be next. Keeping reading for more.