The Tennessee Legislature can't move past the bitter clashes of 2023
When the Tennessee Legislature convened Thursday, custom dictated that Rep. Justin Jones, the Nashville Democrat who was expelled last year, would take his turn leading the House of Representatives in the Pledge of Allegiance.
He quietly refused, again drawing the ire of Republicans. State Rep. Jeremy Faison, a member of the Republican leadership, said Mr. Jones' behavior was a “disgrace” and went so far as to call for his resignation.
Mr. Jones, who has risen to national prominence by sparring with the state's Republican supermajority, later responded that he “couldn't get me to join their performative patriotism” given the party's support for the former President Donald J. Trump and what Mr. Trump said. Jones described it as an attempt to “undermine freedom and justice for all.”
It was one of the clearest signs yet that the animosity of 2023, when Republicans expelled Mr. Jones and state Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis for leading a gun control protest in the House of Representatives, had spilled over into the new year.
And the festering tensions are already surfacing before lawmakers tackle the most important work of the year, including substantive budget changes and a proposed overhaul of state education funding.
It's partly a political hangover of the legislature's own making. When Republicans were recalled for a brief session last summer in response to the mass shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, they wanted to take up most of the legislation until their return in January.
With their supermajority, Republicans can easily brush aside Democratic objections to their agenda, which includes restrictions on LGBTQ rights, a statewide private school voucher plan and proposals that would further loosen gun laws in the state.
That iron grip has prompted both Democrats and activists to use more aggressive tactics to draw attention to their positions, even if there is not always agreement on how far these efforts should extend.
Under Chairman Cameron Sexton, Republicans have not hesitated to punish opponents, locking the two parties into a cycle of protest and retaliation that has strengthened the political base but done little for productivity or bipartisanship.
The dynamic is inextricably linked to Mr. Jones and Mr. Pearson, who were quickly reappointed to their seats but now control a national audience and thousands of fundraising dollars. (State Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, who joined their protest but narrowly escaped expulsion by a single vote, has also announced a U.S. Senate bid.)
And while Mr. Pearson has raised objections in speeches from the floor, Mr. Jones has maintained a combative attitude that dates back to his activist days long before his election to the General Assembly.
Republicans have been quick to suppress anything they see as a disruption, including through a new rule that allows them to silence any lawmaker who is out of order for the rest of the day lay. The rule has only been used against one lawmaker so far: Mr. Jones, after he described Mr. Sexton as “drunk with power.”
On Wednesday, Republicans expelled an audience member who was livestreaming a committee debate about Pride flags, or any flag other than the American and Tennessee flags, that were displayed in schools.
“It's not something I hope we'll have to deal with much,” said state Rep. Kirk Haston, the Republican who oversaw the removal of the audience member, who berated several lawmakers as he left. Mr Haston added that “emotions can run high.”
Some lawmakers and members of the public are also surprised by a new ticket system that drastically limits the number of people who can watch in the galleries above the chamber.
But a spokesman for Mr. Sexton, Connor Grady, said that “the new policy gives more Tennesseans from across the state the opportunity to sit in the stands and allows every member of the General Assembly to have access to their constituents.”
Democratic lawmakers, some of whom have quietly tried to ease tensions, have continued to defend their party members and formally complained about their caucus' underrepresentation on key committees.
They have also raised alarms about several Republican-backed measures that would prevent expelled lawmakers from quickly returning to the General Assembly, either through elections or reappointment by their local governing bodies. (Mr. Sexton, asked on Thursday, declined to comment on these accounts.)
It's unclear whether these measures will ultimately become law, but Democrats have cautioned against overriding the will of a lawmaker's voters.
“I think this is quite a slippery slope,” said Rep. Vincent Dixie, a Democrat who was the only lawmaker to oppose either measure during a committee vote Tuesday.
Afterwards he added: “Frankly, we are past the point of no return.”