Justin Jones (Tennessee politician)

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Vote on expelling Justin Jones. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Democrat voted against expulsion Republican voted for expulsion Republican voted against expulsion Republican didn't vote 2023 vote on expelling Justin Jones from the Tennessee House of Representatives.svg
Vote on expelling Justin Jones.
  Democrat voted against expulsion
  Republican voted for expulsion
  Republican voted against expulsion
  Republican didn't vote

After the March 2023 Covenant School shooting, Jones joined a protest alongside Gloria Johnson and Justin J. Pearson for gun control reform that disrupted House proceedings at the state capitol. [21] The demonstration violated the chamber's decorum rules, as the three members were not recognized to speak and utilized a bullhorn. [22] He was removed from his committees as a result. [23] [24] On April 5, Rep. Jones filed a police report after he was allegedly assaulted on the House floor by Rep. Justin Lafferty. [25] Prior to his expulsion vote, Jones accused Representative Sabi "Doc" Kumar of putting a "brown face to white supremacy"; Kumar also stated that Jones had pointed in his face and told him, "Kumar, they will never accept you." [26]

The Tennessee House voted on April 6, to expel Jones, alongside Pearson, who are both black. Johnson, who is white, survived by one vote. [27] Johnson argued that her race was the reason she was not expelled, [28] while Republican members noted that she did not take the protest as far as Jones and Pearson. [29] The resolution, HR 65, was sponsored by Bud Hulsey and co-sponsored by Gino Bulso, Andrew Farmer, and Johnny Garrett; it passed with a vote of 72–25. [30] The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County set a meeting to discuss an interim appointment to the vacant District 52 on April 10. [31] [32] Jones was appointed interim representative to his former seat by a unanimous vote of 36–0. [2]

Jones, Johnson, and Pearson speak with President Biden and Vice President Harris, at the White House in April 2023. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with the "Tennessee Three"- Democratic Tennessee State legislators Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, and Justin Jones on April 24, 2023 in the Oval Office - P20230424AS-1387.jpg
Jones, Johnson, and Pearson speak with President Biden and Vice President Harris, at the White House in April 2023.

On April 24, Jones, alongside Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson, were received by President Joe Biden at the White House. [33] During his appearance at Netroots Nation in July, Jones accused House leadership of fascism, and stated his belief that the heirs of the Ku Klux Klan run the state government. [34]

Aftermath

On January 10, 2024, Jones became the first lawmaker penalized under a new rule that allows the Tennessee legislature to vote to silence, for the remainder of the day, any lawmaker who is ruled out of order. The rule was evoked against Jones after he described Speaker Cameron Sexton as “drunk with power.” [35]

President Joe Biden with Justin Jones at the White House in April 2023 President Joe Biden meets Democratic Tennessee State legislator Justin Jones, one of the "Tennessee Three" at the White House Oval Office on April 24, 2023 - P20230424AS-1257.jpg
President Joe Biden with Justin Jones at the White House in April 2023

On January 30, 2024, a Tennessee legislative staffer was placed on leave after confronting Jones in the hallway and yelling at him until another lawmaker intervened. [36]

2024 Democratic National Convention

Jones, along with Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, were scheduled to speak at 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but were omitted with no explanation. [37]

Electoral history

Justin Jones
P20230923AS-0391 (53234991548) (cropped).jpg
Jones in 2023
Member of the TennesseeHouseofRepresentatives
from the 52nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 10, 2023
Tennessee's 52nd representative district Democratic primary, 2022 [38]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Justin Jones 1,956 53.24
Democratic Delishia Porterfield1,71846.76
Total votes3,674 100.0
Tennessee's 52nd representative district election results, 2022 [39]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Justin Jones 8,596 100.0
Total votes8,596 100.0

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References

  1. ↑ "Representative Justin Jones". Tennessee General Assembly . April 4, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Crampton, Liz (April 10, 2023). "Nashville Council reinstates exiled Tennessee lawmaker". Politico . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ Halpert, Madeline (April 10, 2023). "Justin Jones: Tennessee lawmaker reinstated three days after expulsion". BBC News . New York. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Justin Jones for TN 52" . Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Tennessee Aug. 4 election: Justin Jones, candidate , state House D-52". Tennessean.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  6. ↑ Logan Langlois (July 28, 2022). "A Conversation With Justin Jones, Candidate for District 52 Representative – The Tennessee Tribune". Tntribune.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Elliott, Stephen (November 18, 2019). "Justin Jones makes his pitch". Nashville Post.
  8. ↑ Elliott, Stephen (April 16, 2020). "Candidates left off ballot". Nashville Post.
  9. ↑ Wallace, Harriet (November 5, 2018). "Vanderbilt student faces legal battle after being kicked out of Blackburn rally". WZTV.
  10. ↑ "Nashville activist Justin Jones wants prosecutor off assault case". The Tennessean. July 25, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  11. ↑ Allison, Natalie (March 1, 2019). "Activist Justin Jones banned from Capitol after alleged assault on Speaker Glen Casada". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Glen Casada OKs dropping charges against activist Justin Jones". The Tennessean. November 13, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  13. ↑ Mattise, Jonathan (June 24, 2021). "Tennessee activist charged in traffic cone toss into truck". Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Justin Jones, Tennessee State Representative, Urges Young People to Get Into Good Trouble". Teen Vogue. October 6, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  15. ↑ Timms, Mariah (July 26, 2021). "Justin Jones 2020 People's Plaza arrests dismissed". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Assault charge dismissed against Nashville activist Justin Jones". WSMV4 . April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ Elliott, Stephen (March 22, 2022). "Activist Justin Jones launches campaign for state House". Nashville Post.
  18. ↑ Rau, Nate (August 5, 2022). "Activists-turned-candidates win legislative races". Axios.
  19. ↑ Elliott, Stephen (November 9, 2022). "Nashville Democrats Elected to State Legislature". Nashville Scene.
  20. ↑ "The Tennessean". The Tennessean .
  21. ↑ Fawcett, Eliza; Cochrane, Emily (April 6, 2023). "Tennessee House Ousts Democratic Lawmaker: What You Need to Know". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  22. ↑ Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve (April 6, 2023). "Tennessee House of Representatives debating whether to expel 3 Democratic lawmakers". CNN . Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  23. ↑ Gainey, Blaise (April 3, 2023). "Republicans bar three Democrats from committees following their gun control protest on Tennessee House floor". wpln.org.
  24. ↑ Sforza, Lauren (April 3, 2023). "Tennessee lawmakers stripped of committees after joining gun violence protests". The Hill . Nexstar Media Group . Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  25. ↑ Sauter, Danica (April 5, 2023). "Rep. Justin Jones files police report after alleged assault on House floor" . Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Indian Tennessee lawmaker 'never encountered a racial slur'". The Washington Post . Nash Holdings. April 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  27. ↑ Kruesi, Kimberlee; Mattise, Jonathan (April 6, 2023). "GOP lawmakers to vote on expelling Democrats in gun protest". Associated Press. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  28. ↑ Noel, Melissa (April 10, 2023). "Tennessee Rep On Why She Wasn't Expelled Amid Calls To Reinstate Black Colleagues: "I'm A 60-Year-Old White Woman"". Essence . Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  29. ↑ McAlee, Hope (April 7, 2023). "Why this East TN rep voted not to expel Gloria Johnson". WATE. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  30. ↑ "HR0065". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  31. ↑ Elamroussi, Aya (April 10, 2023). "Tennessee House expusion: Nashville sends Justin Jones back to the Tennessee House days after GOP lawmakers ousted him". CNN. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Special Meeting Agenda, Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County, April 10, 2023". nashville.legistar.com. April 10, 2023. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  33. ↑ "'Tennessee three' meet with Biden at the White House". ABC News. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Netroots Nation 2023 - Friday Keynote - Alicia Garza and Rep. Justin Jones". Netroots Nation. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Tennessee's Legislature Can't Move Past the Bitter Clashes of 2023". The New York Times . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Legislative staffer suspended after confrontation with 'Tennessee Three' member". AP News. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  37. ↑ Wethington, Caleb (August 22, 2024). "'Tennessee Three' no longer speaking at DNC Thursday night, sources say". www.wsmv.com. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  38. ↑ "State of Tennessee August 4, 2022 Democratic Primary" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. September 1, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  39. ↑ "November 8, 2022 State of Tennessee – Totals State General" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. December 13, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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