OPINION: The Tennessee Three and the GOP’s undermining of democracy
Ayden McDougle is a freshman political science (pre-law) major and history minor. He is also an opinion writer and digital content creator for The New Political.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.
On March 30, Rep. Justin Jones, who represents the Nashville area was joined by Rep. Justin Pearson representing Memphis and Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville gathered with demonstrators at the Tennessee Statehouse to rally for stricter gun control laws following the shooting at Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville.
During this protest Jones held a sign that read “protect kids, not guns,” while leading protest chants, such as, “no action, no peace.” But, following this protest, Jones and Johnson were then stripped of their committee assignments by the Republican leadership. Pearson had yet to receive any committee assignments as a freshman lawmaker.
On the evening of April 6, the GOP supermajority within the state legislature followed through with previously filed resolutions to expel the three Democratic representatives for “disorderly behavior.” The resolution itself said the three representatives created “disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions.”
The outcome following the votes to expel the “Tennessee Three” resulted in Jones and Pearson, who were both the statehouse’s youngest Black members, to be expelled from the Tennessee House by Tennessee House Republicans. While the vote to expel Johnson, who is white, fell short by a single vote. Johnson’s response to reporters was, “It might have to do with the color of our skin.”
The expulsion of Jones and Pearson directly undermines the tens of thousands of voters who elected both men to represent them in the statehouse. These anti-democratic efforts by the Tennessee GOP goes beyond any restriction we’ve seen on voting and representation.
The nationwide response from Democrats was to condemn the expulsion of Jones and Pearson, with President Joe Biden saying, “Today’s expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent.”
The fight against this anti-democratic and borderline fascist resolution by the Tennessee GOP is nationwide. These are not small roadblocks for the fight for democracy, but a blueprint laid out by the GOP on state and local levels to undermine free and fair elections, representation and democracy as a whole.
With Jones and Pearson possibly choosing to run for re-election, fundraising on a GoFundMe for the “Tennessee Three” is already underway and raised $41,206 in three days.
The response from the Tennessee Republican Party to these expulsions lacked any and all foundation and was simply stubborn. Seen directly in a statement released by the Tennessee House Republicans that said, “Their adolescence and immature behavior brought dishonor to the Tennessee General Assembly as they admitted to knowingly breaking the rules. Actions have consequences, and we applaud House Republicans for having the conviction to protect the rules, the laws, and the prestige of the State of Tennessee.”
With a response stating, “actions have consequences,” one would think the Tennessee Republican Party would hold their own members to the same standard. Unsurprisingly they don’t.
Former Rep. David Byrd who represented the 71st District in Tennessee was credibly accused of sexually abusing three girls, and even recorded apologizing to one of the accusers. Former Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey, who represented the 31st District, pleaded guilty to violating two federal campaign finance laws in connection with his failed 2016 congressional campaign. Neither Byrd nor Kelsey were expelled, the Republican leadership killed both resolutions.
These three democratically elected state representatives were expressing their First Amendment right, “amplifying their voices to their constituents in a peaceful, non-violent manner undermines democracy,” said Kathy Sinback, the executive director for ACLU of Tennessee. Jones and Pearson were then punished for expressing their rights.
As of April 10 Jones was reappointed to his former seat in the 52nd District in Nashville by the Metro Council, with a vote of 36-0 to appoint him as the interim representative for the district.
As of April 12 Pearson has also been reappointed to his former seat in the 86th District in Memphis by the Shelby County commissioners as the interim representative.
Regardless of political affiliation or ideology, there is no room for anyone that claims to care about democracy and not be outraged by the expulsion of Jones and Pearson. They were expelled for being two young Black men expressing their First Amendment right. On the most basic level of understanding politics, representation and democracy, silencing these voices of an opposition party borders on the line of an autocracy and down right facism.