Tue. Nov 5th, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

In an act of political retaliation, Tennessee Republicans on Thursday expelled two Democrats from the state legislature for their role in a protest that called for more gun control in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Nashville.

The banishment of representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson was a move the Tennessee House of Representatives has used only a handful times since the Civil War.

Most US state legislatures possess the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for sitting politicians accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents.

The Republican super-majority in the house declined by a single vote to expel a third Democrat, Representative Gloria Johnson.

Ms Johnson joined with Mr Jones and Mr Pearson last week as hundreds of protesters packed the state capitol in Nashville, to call for passage of gun-control measures.

While demonstrators filled galleries, the three Democrats approached the front of the house chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant.

Justin Pearson raises his fist after visiting supporters in the gallery of the house chamber.()

The protest unfolded days after the shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school where six people were killed, including three children.

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