Justin Jones reappointed overwhelmingly to Tennessee legislature, amid cheers

Representative Justin Jones was re-appointed to his Tennessee House of Representatives seat on Monday, following an expulsion by a Republican supermajority that voted to expel him after he participated in a protest for gun reform on the House floor.

Jones, who represents Nashville, reclaimed his seat after Nashville’s Council voted him back into his position, per The Tennessean. Jones was removed after a 72-25 vote in the House, for a “decorum” violation. That violation? He led a chant in the house calling for stricter gun laws and a stop to all the killings and spoke out of turn.

That’s worth repeating: A young Black representative in a majority-white House of Representatives was expelled after six people (including three children) were killed in a shooting, and he demanded gun reform over it. This is the real world we live in.

Jones, along with Rep. Justin Pearson (D – Memphis) and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D – Knoxville), all called for reform that day and spoke without being officially recognized by Speaker Cameron Sexton. That act was a violation of House rules.

Hundreds of young protestors filled the rotunda to call for gun reform during the protests, and The House responded by expelling the two Black Representatives. They also tried to expel Johnson, but she survived by one vote.

“You tried to bury us, but we are seeds,” Jones said before the vote to reinstate him. The council is more progressive-leaning than the House, and Metro Council member Delishia Porterfield nominated Jones to come back to his seat.

“Our community members are more than capable of selecting their representative, and their will should have never been undermined,” Porterfield said. “Rep. Jones was honest about who he was: a bold and unapologetic advocate for the community. The people chose their representative. And with this vote, we will send a strong message to our state government and across the country that we will not tolerate threats to our democracy.”

In Shelby County, where Rep. Pearson represents, there’s going to be a similar meeting of 13 country commissioners on Wednesday to consider reappointing him as well. Commissioner Britney Thornton said she supported Pearson and will do everything she can to get him reappointed.

“As a fellow millennial elected to serve, I believe it’s crucial for my generation to be represented,” Thornton said. “I stand with Representative Pearson and his fellow colleagues — all of whom are unfairly being mislabeled and othered. Wholeheartedly will I support his reappointment.”

Now Jones has called for Speaker Sexton to resign. He called the movement supporting his reappointment a challenge to “a system based off of white supremacy” and “abuse of power under the guise of a man named Cameron Sexton.”