Democrat Senators Request DOJ Investigation Into Expulsion Of TN Reps Who Disrupted Floor Session With Bullhorn

Two Democrat senators have asked the Department of Justice to probe the expulsion of two Tennessee state House Democrats who disrupted a floor session with a bullhorn. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Raphael Warnock sent a letter to the DOJ urging them to investigate the lawmakers’ expulsion on constitutional and civil rights grounds. The senators cited the 1966 Supreme Court case Bond v. Floyd, which ruled that a state House’s decision to deny a representative his seat due to his views on the Vietnam War was unconstitutional. The expulsion of Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson by Tennessee Republicans has sparked controversy, with both Jones and Pearson returning to the state house after Metro Nashville City Council and Shelby County Commission voted to reinstate them. Meanwhile, Rep. Gloria Johnson, who stood by the two lawmakers, avoided expulsion by one vote. The move earned criticism from President Joe Biden, who called it “shocking, undemocratic, and unprecedented,” and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Nashville to meet with the Democrat lawmakers.