Nashville.- Two former African-American Democratic lawmakers who were ousted by Republican colleagues in Tennessee are seeking reinstatement following their removal from office after protesting on the floor of the House of Representatives urging the passage of gun control measures in the aftermath of a school shooting.
The Nashville metropolitan council is likely to reappoint Justin Jones to the position during a specially convened meeting Monday. The Shelby County Commission plans to announce soon when it will meet to fill the vacancy left by the ouster of Justin Pearson. Also, the commissioners can reinstate Pearson, who is from Memphis.
Both former legislators told NBC’s Meet the Press that they want to return to their posts as legislators. Special elections for the seats, which have not yet been set, would be in the coming months.
The evictions have made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. The former lawmakers have quickly attracted prominent supporters. President Joe Biden spoke with them, and Vice President Kamala Harris visited them in Nashville.
“We will continue to fight for our constituents,” Jones said. “This attack on us is hurting every person in our state. Even though it is disproportionately affecting Black and Latino communities, it is hurting poor whites. His attack on democracy hurts us all.”
In separate votes Thursday, the overwhelming majority of Republicans ousted Jones and Pearson, a move that left some 140,000 voters in mainly black districts in Nashville and Memphis without representation in the House.
Pearson and Jones were expelled for their role in the protest the week before, which unfolded after a school shooting in Nashville that left people dead, including three children.
