May 13 (UPI) — The Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives removed Democratic lawmakers from committees and subcommittees.
Tennessee Speaker Cameron Sexton sent letters to members of the Tennessee House Democratic Caucus on Tuesday citing disruptions during a recent special session on congressional redistricting.
A letter to House Democratic Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, accused members of “disrupting the democratic and legislative processes and creating disorder on the House Floor.”
The actions cited were: interlocking arms in the well of the House, blocking aisles on the House floor, encouraging disruptions from protesters and attendees in the gallery, using prohibited props and noisemakers and “flagrant disregard” for House rules.
Sexton also said that Democratic caucus members passed out earplugs to another Democratic lawmaker during the demonstrations.
“Members of the Democratic Caucus will receive individual letters removing them from all standing committees and subcommittees of the House,” Sexton’s letter said.
The letters to all lawmakers said they were to be removed from committees, but Camper’s letter said she would stay on the Government Operations Committee, as is required by House rules.
Camper said Republicans’ recent actions were “one of the most troubling abuses of power this legislature has seen in recent memory.”
“I will be honest: at this point, they can do whatever they want. They have proven time and time again that they have little regard for precedent, fairness or even the spirit of the law itself,” Camper said in a statement. “They have abused the supermajority over and over again, changing the rules whenever it benefits them and punishing anyone who dares to challenge them.”
Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis posted about it on X.
“Speaker of the TN House Cameron Sexton just removed me and every Democrat — and therefore every Black elected official in the state legislature from any committee we served on,” Pearson said. “This move strips nearly 2 million Tennesseans from the representation they deserve in TN state [legislature].
Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, posted his letter on Instagram with a comment.
“I just got an official letter from Speaker Cameron Sexton stripping me of all my committee assignments for protesting their white supremacist agenda.
“Just as my white Republican colleagues chose racial retaliation against Tennessee’s Black voters, the Speaker of the House is now choosing retaliation against a Black lawmaker for standing up against their Jim Crow racial gerrymander. This is not new. This is the same pattern of racial discrimination and authoritarian abuse we have come to expect. His assault on our democracy is not about me, but silencing the voices of the people who democratically elected me, the 70,000 people who call District 52 home. This will not deter us from the fights ahead, but instead strengthen our resolve to keep pushing,” Jones said.
Rep. Gabby Salinas, D-Memphis, posted a video on Facebook about her letter, saying “I would do it again.”
“This is a result of the actions that we took on the [House] floor last week,” she said. “It is interesting that disenfranchising an entire district here in Shelby County carries zero consequences … but speaking out, using your voice, and representing [the] interests of the people of Tennessee is something that they deemed punishable.”
President Donald Trump gives remarks during a law enforcement leaders dinner, celebrating the start of National Police Week, in the Rose Garden at the White House on Monday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
