What Happens In Tennessee Won't Stay in Tennessee

On Friday, April 7th, the Tennessee state legislature voted to expel two out of the three state representatives, Representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who protested on the chamber floor in the wake of a mass shooting that killed six people, including three nine-year-old children. Now, their expulsion was an unprecedented move, completely disregarding typical norms of democracy and also the will of voters. No Tennessee House member has ever been removed from elected office for simply violating decorum rules.

This week, both Representative Pearson and Jones were reinstated to their elected seats in the State House, but the damage has been done.

Here to unpack all that has happened in Tennessee this week. As Jeff Preptit, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Tennessee.