Tennessee state Representative Justin Pearson was sworn in on Thursday morning after he was reappointed to the legislature from which he and another Democratic colleague were expelled for leading a gun protest on the House of Representatives floor.
To applause, whoops and cheers, Pearson stood before a crowd of about 50 supporters and a gaggle of media as he was sworn in on the steps of the Capitol."I am so glad to be fighting with you, because victory is ours," he said, shaking his fist in the air, and then he and the crowd chanted, "Power to the people."to his vacated seat by the county legislature that includes his Memphis district.
This is the third time Pearson was sworn in this year. He had been appointed to the previously vacant seat in January and won a special election in March. "We're going to keep fighting to end gun violence. We're going to keep fighting to end environmental racism and injustice," Pearson told reporters after his reappointment.Tennessee House Republicans, who have a supermajority, have said in a statement they will welcome back any expelled state lawmakers returned by county-level governments, so long as those members follow the legislature's rules.
Jones and Pearson helped lead the March 30 demonstration calling for gun control, disrupting a legislative session, along with Democratic Representative Gloria Johnson of Knoxville. They were supported by citizens outraged over theJohnson narrowly escaped also being expelled for breaching House decorum rules. She told reporters afterward she believed she survived because she is white.
Reporting by Omar Younis in Nashville; writing by Daniel Trotta; additional reporting by Rich McKayin Atlanta; Editing by Donna Bryson, Diane Craft and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
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