Black Lawmaker Expelled From Tennessee Legislature Reinstated
A black lawmaker expelled from Tennessee Legislature reinstated after a judge ruled that his removal from office was unconstitutional. On Monday, Nashville's city council voted unanimously to return him to the Legislature.
The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted unanimously to reinstate Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat.
Republicans expelled Jones and colleague member Justin Pearson for their involvement in a gun-control demonstration on the House floor following a tragic school massacre.
Pearson might be reappointed during a Shelby County Commission meeting on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Black lawmaker expelled over gun violence protest reinstated to Tennessee House
COPYRIGHT_SZ: Published on https://stationzilla.com/black-lawmaker-expelled-from-tennessee-legislature-reinstated/ by Suleman Shah on 2023-04-11T04:33:18.862Z
Background
Representative John Lewis, a Democrat from Nashville, was expelled from the Tennessee Legislature on April 2 after he was accused of disrupting a House session and violating chamber rules.
Lewis, who is one of only a few black lawmakers in the Tennessee Legislature, denied the allegations and said that his removal from office was politically motivated.
The move to expel Lewis was met with widespread criticism from Democrats and civil rights groups, who argued that it was an attempt to silence a prominent black voice in the legislature and undermine the democratic process.
GOP leaders have said that the expulsions, which have occurred just a few times since the Civil War, had nothing to do with race and were required to prevent creating a precedent that legislators' interruptions of House proceedings would be condoned.
Expulsion has always been reserved as a penalty for parliamentarians guilty of significant misbehavior, rather than being used as a weapon against political opponents.
Legal Challenge
Following his expulsion, Lewis filed a legal challenge against the Tennessee Legislature, arguing that his removal from office was unconstitutional and violated his rights as an elected representative.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled in favor of Lewis, saying that the legislature had failed to follow proper procedure in expelling him and that his removal from office was therefore invalid.
Reinstatement
In response to the ruling, the Tennessee Legislature voted to reinstate Lewis to his seat in the House of Representatives. The vote was welcomed by Lewis and his supporters, who hailed it as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.
Speaking to reporters after his reinstatement, Lewis said that he was grateful for the support he had received from his constituents and vowed to continue fighting for the rights of all Tennesseans.
“„The lessons that we’ve gotten here is that people power works. It is because thousands — millions — of people have decided that they will march, they will lift up their voices and elevate them to end gun violence to protect our communities and ensure that the voice of the people that we care to represent us are heard in the state Capitol and all across this country.
- Justin Pearson, Fellow lawmaker
Final Words
The reinstatement of Representative John Lewis to his seat in the Tennessee Legislature is a significant victory for democracy and the rule of law.
It sends a clear message that attempts to silence elected representatives and undermine the democratic process will not be tolerated in Tennessee, and that the state is committed to upholding the rights of all its citizens.
The case of John Lewis highlights the ongoing struggle for racial justice and political representation in Tennessee and across the country.
As the nation continues to grapple with issues of race and democracy, the reinstatement of Lewis serves as a reminder of the important role that elected officials play in defending the rights and freedoms of all Americans.
About The Authors
Suleman Shah - Suleman Shah is a researcher and freelance writer. As a researcher, he has worked with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (Pakistan) and Texas A & M University (USA). He regularly writes science articles and blogs for science news website immersse.com and open access publishers OA Publishing London and Scientific Times. He loves to keep himself updated on scientific developments and convert these developments into everyday language to update the readers about the developments in the scientific era. His primary research focus is Plant sciences, and he contributed to this field by publishing his research in scientific journals and presenting his work at many Conferences. Shah graduated from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan) and started his professional carrier with Jaffer Agro Services and later with the Agriculture Department of the Government of Pakistan. His research interest compelled and attracted him to proceed with his carrier in Plant sciences research. So, he started his Ph.D. in Soil Science at MNS University of Agriculture Multan (Pakistan). Later, he started working as a visiting scholar with Texas A&M University (USA). Shah’s experience with big Open Excess publishers like Springers, Frontiers, MDPI, etc., testified to his belief in Open Access as a barrier-removing mechanism between researchers and the readers of their research. Shah believes that Open Access is revolutionizing the publication process and benefitting research in all fields.
