Nashvillians remember the sunny morning of Monday, March 27, 2023, because it felt like the darkest day in the city’s history.
A shooter armed with three firearms entered the Covenant School and killed Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, William Kinney, 9, Hallie Scruggs, 9, Mike Hill, 61, Cynthia Peak, 61 and Katherine Koonce, 60.
In the days that followed the shooting, there were funerals, citywide vigils and school walkout protests organized by students. National news reporters descended into Nashville, and people from all over the world learned about what happened.
But the spotlight intensified and stayed pointed at the city for weeks longer, in part because of the lawmakers who became known as the “Tennessee Three.”
Protests demanding gun reform have become common occurrences in the wake of school shootings across the U.S., but following the Covenant School shooting, three Tennessee lawmakers took the protest inside the Capitol and onto the House floor.
On March 30, just days after the school shooting, Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, walked up to the House podium without being called on and led chants in favor of gun reform, echoing the shouts of hundreds of protesters in the Capitol building and gathered outside its doors. Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, joined the pair by standing in solidarity during their demonstration, which included small signs made by constituents and a bullhorn.
The demonstration was met with swift action from GOP lawmakers. House Speaker Cameron Sexton removed Jones and Johnson from their committee assignments (Pearson did not serve on any committees). Then, expulsion proceedings began.
The chaos that ensued thrust Tennessee’s politics further onto the national stage.
As part of the expulsion hearings, which took place on April 6, each of the three lawmakers got 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to speak at the podium in their own defense. Jones spoke first, wearing a white suit jacket and brown tie.
Justin Jones, D-Nashville, speaks ahead of a vote to expel him from the House of Representatives at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, April 6, 2023. House Speaker Cameron Sexton is seen behind him.
After some cross examination, he was expelled by a vote of 72 to 25 (66 votes were needed).
It was the first time any House member had been expelled for breaking the rules of decorum.
Lawmakers next took up a resolution to expel Johnson, who brought two attorneys to represent her. But there was a wrinkle. The three expulsion resolutions shared the same language, accusing all three lawmakers of shouting and banging on the House podium. But Johnson’s attorneys pointed out she did not do what the resolution claimed, as evidenced by a video shown minutes earlier.
Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville speaks into a megaphone during a demonstration for gun reform on Thursday, March 30, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. With him are Representatives Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson. The trio became known as the “Tennessee Three.”
The argument was persuasive to multiple GOP lawmakers — seven of whom broke with their party and voted not to expel Johnson. The resolution failed by one vote.
Finally, Pearson had his turn to defend himself. He had only been in office 10 days, after being sworn in on the same day as the Covenant School shooting due to a special election.
The resolution to expel him succeeded by a vote of 69 to 26.
Both Jones and Pearson officially returned to office shortly thereafter, sent back first by their respective city councils, then by special elections in their districts. Jones was only out of office for a few days. And the trio received recognition from powerful Democratic leaders across the U.S., including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Political donations flooded the Tennessee Democratic party.
But substantial Tennessee gun reform legislation has not followed in the wake of the shooting and subsequent protests.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Three had all eyes on Nashville in 2023