In a bizarre showing of partisan squabbling, Tennessee Republicans have stepped over the line and expelled two Democrats from the State House of Representatives after they interrupted the legislative session last week to protest in favor of stricter gun laws. The Democrats, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, were sent out of the chamber in a vote led by Republicans–a move that political scientists say could have frightening ripple effects in the broader United States.
Meanwhile, another vote to expel Gloria Johnson from the chamber failed by only a single vote. This marks the first time in Tennessee’s modern history that the legislature has voted to remove other lawmakers from the House for partisan disagreements.
Setting a Frightening Precedent
Tennessee Republicans have set up a disturbing precedent by sending out members of the minority party while they’re in power. This sets a precedent for other state legislatures, as the majority party in those governing bodies could simply band together to vote out any opposition politicians to make it easier to pass their agenda.
Ken Paulson, the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, says this could allow parties with a supermajority to “deprive citizens of their representation in the statehouse.” This basically means that the majority party has carte blanche to make an end-run around democracy if applied to its logical conclusion.
Accusations of Racism
The Tennessee state house has now been accused of racism for its conduct in sending the lawmakers out of the chamber. The two lawmakers, Jones and Pearson, are both black men. Johnson, meanwhile, who the body failed to expel by one vote, is a white woman.
This has led to accusations that the Democrats weren’t just excluded from the State House of Representatives for their politics but also for their racial backgrounds.
Now What?
The ousted legislators are eligible to run for their officers again. Interestingly enough, the Tennessee constitution forbids the legislature from barring them again on the same basis. This means if Jones and Pearson win reelection during special elections later this year, they’ll likely be back in the State House of Representatives for good, without fear of being expelled again.
Still, this episode has alerted many political scientists to a disturbing trend among Republican lawmakers throughout the US. It now seems like a difference in political opinion is all it takes for the GOP to want to throw democratically-elected officials to the curb.
