Justin J. Pearson sworn back into Tennessee House of Representatives
Justin J. Pearson is sworn into his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives at the legislative plaza next to the State Capitol, on Thursday, April 13. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
Justin J. Pearson was sworn into his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday, April 13, one week after Republicans expelled him for breaking decorum rules and protesting against gun violence.
Pearson was sworn in at the legislative plaza next to the State Capitol by Nashville General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell in front of a small group of gun safety advocates.
“I gotta tell you that good news,” Pearson said at the swearing-in ceremony. “We’re gonna win.”
“There are more mass shootings than days in this country,” he said. “Kids are told to go to fortresses instead of to schools, to places of learning.”
He took his seat in the back corner of the House floor a few minutes before 10 a.m. Soon after, House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) allowed Pearson to speak against a higher education “divisive concepts” bill.
Pearson was reappointed to the seat on Wednesday by a 7-0 vote of the Shelby County Commission. Four Republicans and two Democrats were absent.
Kimberly Owens-Pearson speaks at the swearing in of her son Justin J. Pearson at the legislative plaza next to the State Capitol on Thursday, April 13. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
Jason C. Pearson speaks at the swearing in of his son Justin J. Pearson at the legislative plaza next to the State Capitol on Thursday, April 13. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
Justin J. Pearson, along with his fiancée Oceana Gilliam, at the legislative plaza next to the State Capitol on Thursday, April 13. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
Justin J. Pearson (left) with Justin Jones on Thursday, April 13, 2023. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
Pearson’s reappointment and swearing-in follow that of Justin Jones, the other Black Democrat who was expelled last week. Jones was appointed unanimously by the Nashville Metro Council on Monday, April 10 and was present for the House floor session that evening — meaning the only legislative work he missed was the expulsion debate for Pearson and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville).
Pearson said Republicans were “subverting our democracy with their mob-ocracy.”
House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) and Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) said in a joint statement on Monday that they would “welcome” Pearson and Jones.
“Tennessee’s constitution provides a pathway back for expulsion,” Lamberth and Faison said. “Should any expelled members be reappointed, we will welcome them. Like everyone else, they are expected to follow the rules of the House as well as state law.”
Meanwhile, Pearson and Jones have retained a high-power team of lawyers, with Pearson represented by Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC, and Jones represented by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Their lawyers sent a letter to Sexton demanding that the two be granted the full rights of any member, including committee assignments.
“If we never quit, we’ll see days of justice spring forth,” Pearson said. “If we never quit, I assure you we will win.”
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Justin J. PearsonIan Round
Ian Round is The Daily Memphian’s state government reporter based in Nashville. He came to Tennessee from Maryland, where he reported on local politics for Baltimore Brew. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in December 2019.
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