Expelled Tennessee Lawmakers Say They Would Accept Reappointment

Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson call expulsion undemocratic
Lawmakers participated in a gun control protest on House floor

Justin Jones. center, and Justin P. Pearson, left. during a vote on their expulsion from the state legislature at the State Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 6.Photographer: Seth Herald/Getty Images

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By Victoria Cavaliere

April 9, 2023 at 4:25 PM UTC

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Local leaders in Tennessee will decide this week whether to reinstate two young Democratic lawmakers expelled from the Republican-controlled state legislature — and each said on Sunday he’d accept.

State Reps. Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson said their expulsion by GOP lawmakers who control the Tennessee House of Representatives was an attack on democracy and the predominantly Black and Brown communities they represent.