FOG BLOG U.S. POLITICS LOG: TENN HOUSE EXPELS REPS JONES AND JOHNSON FOR MISCONDUCT ON THE FLOOR!

The votes are in and Dem reps Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson expelled . Tennessee House Ousts Democratic Lawmaker: What You Need to Know

Expulsions from state legislatures have been rare and usually involve accusations of criminal or sexual misconduct. In the wake of a school shooting in Nashville that left six people dead, three Democratic lawmakers took to the floor of the Republican-controlled Tennessee House chamber last week to rally for stricter gun control.

On Thursday, the three lawmakers — State Representatives Justin Jones, Justin J. Pearson and Gloria Johnson — were facing expulsion from the House, a dramatic act of political retribution.

In the first vote, the legislature voted 72-25 to oust Mr. Jones. The votes on expelling the other two lawmakers were expected to follow.

Here’s what you need to know. How did the General Assembly reach this point? Hundreds of students, parents and teachers have marched to the State Capitol since the Covenant School shooting on March 27 and have held demonstrations at the Capitol to demand action by the legislature to toughen gun laws.

Last Thursday, Representatives Jones, Pearson and Johnson — whose districts are in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, the state’s three largest cities — interrupted the legislature by chanting “No action, no peace” on the House floor. Legislative proceedings were forced to a halt. The speaker of the House, Cameron Sexton, responded by comparing the three lawmakers to the rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol in 2021. He called their actions “unacceptable” and a violation of House rules of decorum and procedure. By Monday, he had revoked their ID access to the State Capitol building and had stripped two of the three lawmakers of their committee assignments.