Nashville Council Wastes No Time Reinstating Justin Jones

The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted to reappoint Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday, four days after Jones was forced out of the state legislature.

Jones, alongside former state Representative Justin Pearson, were both ousted by Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday, a week after the Democratic lawmakers broke decorum and joined a gun-control protest at the state Capitol. The youth-led rally was spurred by the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, which left three students and three staff members dead.

The Nashville Metropolitan Council held a vote on Monday to select an interim representative for the House District 52 seat until a special election can be held to permanently fill the position. Jones won overwhelming support from the progressive council and was reinstated in a 36-0 vote.

A large group of supporters gathered in front of the Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse ahead of the council's vote, holding signs and chanting, "No Justin, no peace," according to reports from Cassandra Stephenson of The Tennessean.

Videos also circulated on social media of Jones leading allies in song inside council chambers ahead of his reinstatement vote. WKRN reporter Stephanie Langston posted a video of Jones standing on a pew and facing the crowd inside the special meeting, singing, "I've got a feeling everything's going to be alright."

Supporters then followed Jones to the state Capitol, just a few blocks away. Pearson, who represented Tennessee's House District 86, posted a video of Jones being sworn in on the Capitol steps, surrounded by a cheering crowd.

Jones and Pearson are eligible to run for reelection for the state House during their districts' special elections this year. Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery said in a release on Sunday that the county's Board of Commissioners "will consider the action to reappoint Mr. Justin Pearson to his duly elected position" in a special meeting called for Wednesday afternoon.

Tennessee Republicans, alongside House Speaker Cameron Sexton, were accused of racism for expelling Jones and Pearson, who are both Black, after an effort to expel Democratic Representative Gloria Johnson, who is white, failed by one vote. Johnson told reporters after being spared that the decision "may have to do with the color of our skin."

All three Democratic lawmakers, dubbed the Tennessee Three, repeated chants alongside protesters gathered outside the House chamber on March 30, breaching decorum. However, Johnson did not use a megaphone, unlike Jones and Pearson.

Before he was reinstated on Monday, Jones told his supporters that they were "challenging" a "system based off of plantation politics, a system based off of white supremacy, a system based off of abuse of power under the guise of a man named Cameron Sexton." A clip of Jones' speech was shared to Twitter by NowThis.

"My message to Cameron Sexton is whether you re-acknowledge the appointment or not, these people are the people's voices, are the ultimate authority," Jones said.

"The world is watching Tennessee," the state representative added.

Newsweek has emailed Sexton's communications team for comment.

Update 4/10/23, 7:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.