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State Rep. Justin Jones is sworn in (again) after unanimous Nashville council vote to reinstate him [1]
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Date: 2023-04-10
The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted unanimously Monday to reappoint Rep. Justin Jones to the Tennessee State House. Jones was one of two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled from the state House last week for protesting n support of gun control legislation.
Jones' supporters greeted the 36-0 vote with loud cheers inside and outside the chamber.
x Nashville Council votes to reinstate Justin Jones 36-0 pic.twitter.com/cOueZkbtmy — Acyn (@Acyn) April 10, 2023
Jones will serve as an interim representative until a special election can be held to fill the seat permanently. Jones is eligible to run for reelection.
Under Tennessee law, the local governing body is empowered to make an interim appointment to fill a legislative seat should a vacancy occur until a special election is held.
A spokesperson for Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said he would not stand in the way of the reappointment of Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson. That means the two ousted representatives could soon be reseated in the state legislature, according to Vox.
On Wednesday, the Shelby County Commission is scheduled to vote about reappointing Pearson to his Memphis-area seat.
The two Democratic representatives were expelled last Thursday for protesting on the House floor over the failure of the Republican-dominated legislature to respond to a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. Three children and three adults were killed.
A third representative, Gloria Johnson, who is white, also took part in the protest supporting tightening gun control laws, but avoided being expelled by one vote.
Local Fox News 13 reporter Dakarai Turner reported Monday that a spokesperson for Sexton said the speaker could not stop the two expelled representatives from being reappointed. “The two governing bodies will make the decision as to who they want to appoint to these seats," a statement from Sexton's office said. "Those two individuals will be seated as representatives as the constitution requires.”
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/10/2163164/-News-reports-Tenn-House-Speaker-says-he-can-t-stop-two-expelled-black-reps-from-being-reseated
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