What to know about ‘the Tennessee three’ after the first two expulsion votes

Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to expel one Democratic lawmaker among three who, a week ago, participated in a protest for stricter gun laws on the chamber floor.

Rep. Justin Jones was expelled by a 72-25 vote, while the vote to expel his colleague, Rep. Gloria Johnson, failed. The Tennessee House will vote on whether to remove the third member, Rep. Justin Pearson.

The three made the demands for new gun safety laws days after three 9-year-old children and three staff members were killed in a school shooting in Nashville.

Here’s what to know about each lawmaker:

Rep. Gloria Johnson

Johnson, who currently represents Knoxville, was first elected to the Legislature in 2012. Johnson lost her reelection bid in 2014 and 2016 but won the seat back in the 2018 election. Johnson, 60, is a retired teacher.

Johnson is known to be one the most forthright House Democrats in the Legislature. In 2021, Johnson moved her desk to the hallway after she was assigned a windowless conference room. Her office believes House Speaker Cameron Sexton assigned her the office to punish her because she was the only member who did not vote to reelect the Republican as speaker.

Rep. Justin Jones

Jones, 27, is one of the youngest members of the state House. The first-term lawmaker won the election in November to represent parts of Nashville.

Prior to being elected, Jones was known for his activist work. In 2019, Jones led sit-ins and protests for the removal of a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Tennessee State Capitol. In 2020, Jones organized a 62-day sit-in protest for racial justice outside the state capitol after the murder of George Floyd.

Rep. Justin Pearson

Pearson currently represents parts of Memphis after being elected in a special election in January. At 28, Pearson became the second-youngest lawmaker serving in the Tennessee House. Pearson is the son of an educator and a preacher.

Pearson became known in Memphis when he co-founded the grassroots organization Memphis Community Against the Pipeline to oppose a crude oil pipeline proposed for South Memphis.