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President Biden condemned the Tennessee House’s vote to expel two Democratic legislators, calling it “without precedent,” which prompted critics to ask: What about Mike Nearman? Mr. Nearman was an Oregon state representative who was expelled in June 2021 for helping demonstrators enter the state capitol in violation of pandemic restrictions to protest the Covid-19 lockdown. The vote to boot him for “disorderly behavior” was 59-1, with the Republican Nearman casting the sole dissenting vote in the Democrat-led legislature.

• Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has strongly criticized the decision by Republicans in Tennessee to expel two Black Democratic lawmakers from the state House. • Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled on Thursday after they spoke out of turn to support a youth-led protest for gun control following the deadly school shooting in Nashville.

The decision by Tennessee Republicans to expel two Democratic lawmakers over their protests following a mass school shooting may have backfired, turning the ousted state leaders into political martyrs and giving them a bigger national platform to air their grievances. State Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were kicked out of the state legislature on Thursday in a move that drew widespread condemnation, outrage, and accusations of racism across the country. DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND TENNESSEE LAWMAKERS AFTER EXPULSION FOR GUN PROTEST GOP leaders said the move was necessary after the...

Expelling a member from the state House is a rarity in Tennessee history, and it has only previously happened three times. In 1866, six lawmakers were expelled for blocking the ratification of the 14th Amendment. In 1980, a House member was expelled for seeking a bribe in exchange for scuttling a piece of legislation. And then in 2016, a representative was expelled amid state and federal investigations for sexual misconduct after a state attorney general report found that he had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with at least 22 women....

The Tennessee Republican Party has launched a fundraising effort to cash in on the expulsion of two Black Democrats from the state House, as their removal prompted some to accuse the party of racism. Republicans in the GOP-controlled chamber voted to expel Democrats Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, both of whom are Black, on Thursday. One week earlier, Jones, Pearson and Democratic Representative Gloria Johnson breached decorum by speaking out of turn to support a youth-led protest for gun control following the recent deadly shooting at The Covenant School in...

The lone Republican to vote against the expulsion of three Tennessee Democratic lawmakers said in an interview on Friday that he voted nay because he wanted to give the now ousted members another opportunity to talk through the House rules. Rep. Charlie Baum explained that he preferred to work with Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson, dubbed the Tennessee Three, in committees and subcommittees to come to a clearer understanding of the House procedures and ensure their constituents would continue to be represented by their elected officials....

While the expulsion of lawmakers is permissible within state constitutions, it’s rare — and in Tennessee’s case, opponents of the move say it could have violated the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and the 14th Amendment guarantees of due process and equal protection of the laws. In 1876, Virginia legislators expelled Del. R.D. Ruffin, a lawyer from Dinwiddie County, after he was accused of taking $30 from the House in addition to his $6 per-diem payment. Ruffin denied the accusation. No Virginia lawmaker has been expelled in modern times,...

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) is meeting with state Reps. Justin Jones (D) and Justin Pearson (D), two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the legislature after participating in a recent protest on the Tennessee House floor. Gun violence was the topic of the protest, which followed the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tenn. The Hill’s Brett Samuels wrote, “The vice president will use the meeting to elevate the White House’s broader push for tougher gun laws, including a ban on assault weapons.” President Biden, former President Obama, and the...