The second of the two black lawmakers expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives for joining a public protest for Gun Control inside the House has now been reinstated.
Justin Pearson, 29, was chosen by a unanimous vote from the seven members of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
Earlier, his fellow colleague, Justin Jones, 27, who was also expelled, was voted back by the Nashville’s governing council voted on Monday.
Pearson reacted to the unanimous vote, saying, “You can’t expel hope. You can’t expel justice. You can’t expel our voice. And you sure can’t expel our fight. We look forward to continuing to fight.”
The Shelby County Commission Chairman Mickell Lowerd told the media, “I think that it’s important that the people of District 86 are represented by the person that they voted overwhelming to have in the office.”
Dem. Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Person were expelled from the house, following an ousting by votes by Republican lawmakers, while a third member was spared by a narrow margin of one vote.
The “banishment” option of a fellow lawmaker is used by the House to expel a member accused of gross misconduct or corruption. The option has, however, rarely been used since the Civil War.
The move came after the two lawmakers joined hundreds of protestors at a gun control protest at Tennessee’s State Capitol that called for stricter laws after a shooting at a Nashville elementary school last week left 6 dead, including 3 children.
