Tennessee becomes a new front in battle for American democracy.As a result of the expulsion of two African American members of the Tennessee Legislature for protesting gun restrictions, the state of Tennessee has become a battleground for democratic principles in the United States.
On Thursday, the GOP supermajority voted to remove Justin Jones and Justin Pearson from their seats in the Tennessee House. As a result, 140,000 black voters in the cities of Nashville and Memphis no longer have a representative in the state legislature.
Kevin Webb, Pearson’s instructor, referred to the student’s termination as “classic America.” “What gives us the reason to believe that it will cease suddenly?” Webb noted.
Pearson and Jones were fired as retaliation for their participation in the protest that followed a school shooting in Nashville that claimed the lives of six individuals, three of whom were students at the school.
According to the Brennan Center, this year, dozens of states have proposed or sponsored 177 pieces of legislation with the intention of restricting voting, creating mechanisms that fear voters, or allowing partisan interference.
Tennessee House GOP votes to expel Democrat lawmaker( NBC NEWS)
In many areas, Republicans are working to make voting more difficult and undermine the democratic process in every way they can, including pushing for the expulsion of freshly elected members.
The activity in Tennessee was met with opposition from a variety of organisations.
According to Democracy 21’s founder and president Fred Wertheimer, expulsions are typically reserved for lawmakers who have been involved in criminal activity. Democracy 21 is a neutral organisation that works to improve government.
According to Wertheimer, it was unheard of for elected officials to be removed from office for doing their jobs. He claims that this information spreads quickly.
Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, who is the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, has demanded that the Tennessee members be reinstated, and he has also asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate possible violations of the Voting Rights Act.
NAACP President and Chief Executive Officer Derrick Johnson has stated that the organisation intends to file a lawsuit “to ensure that this heinous attempt to silence the voice of the people is addressed in a court of law.”
Cameron Sexton, the Speaker of the House in Tennessee, stated that this is not true. The three just gave a brief demonstration before moving on. Sexton made a motion for the legislators to take a break.
Clayton Cardwell, a local citizen of Nashville, stated that last week’s demonstration for stricter gun regulation was “the right thing to do.”
On Thursday, a Nashville attorney by the name of Chris Wood went to the sessions of the Capitol out of concern for the approaching expulsion of his congressman.