Thousands flocked to the Tennessee State Capitol on Thursday to support the three Democratic lawmakers who may face eviction for their roles in a gun control demonstration, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber as loudly as possible.

ly

That

it be

procedures overruled.

The GOP-dominated House will vote on whether or not to impeach representatives. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, an extraordinary move that has only used the room a handful of times since the Civil War.

The trio held hands as they walked onto the house floor Thursday morning, and Pearson raised his fist at the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.

The calls for eviction stem from a protest last week, just days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at

T

he Covenant School in Nashville. Johnson, Jones and Pearson now dubbed

“the

Tennessee Three chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun control supporters filling the stands.

Outrage over the potential eviction has once again thrust Tennessee into the national spotlight, highlighting not only the ability of the Republican supermajority to silence opponents, but its growing willingness to do so. The move sends a chilling message just as lawmakers grapple with how to respond to the devastating shooting, while others have raised concerns about undermining

i.e

democracy by overthrowing the will of the voters.

Many of the protesters came from Memphis and Knoxville, areas representing Pearson and Johnson, and lined up in a line that wrapped around the Capitol

building

to get in.

Protesters outside the room held up signs that read: School Zones Shouldn’t Be War Zones, Muskets Didn’t Fire 950 Rounds A Minute With A Picture Of George Washington, and You Can Silence A Gun… But Not The Voice Of The People.

As the House began its business Thursday, Democratic Rep. Vincent Dixie stood before his colleagues and urged them not to be distracted. He called the funeral of Mike Hill, one of the victims of the Nashville school shooting.

which that

took place earlier in the week.

I want us to remember the sacrifice he made to keep those kids safe, Dixie said. Each of us has the power to change.

Before the eviction vote, members of the House were scheduled to discuss more than 20 bills, including a school safety bill that required public and private schools to submit their building safety plans to the state. The bill did not address gun control, leading to criticism from some Democratic members that lawmakers were only addressing a symptom, not the cause, of school shootings.

Evictions in the Tennessee General Assembly are extremely rare and are considered an extraordinary action.

In 2019, lawmakers were under pressure to expel former Republican Representative David Byrd after he was accused of sexual misconduct

dating from

when he was a high school basketball coach three decades earlier. Republicans declined to take action, pointing out that he was re-elected when the allegations surfaced. Byrd retired last year.

Last year, the Senate expelled Democrat Katrina Robinson after she was convicted of using about $3,400 in federal grant money for wedding expenses in lieu of

here

nursing school.

Before that case, state lawmakers last impeached a member of the House in 2016 when the House voted 70

–

Unpleasant

–

2 to remove Republican Representative Jeremy Durham following an attorney general’s investigation into detailed allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office.

If Johnson, Jones

other

Pearson is evicted, the county commissions in their districts could choose replacements to serve until a special election in a few months. The three would remain eligible to run

in that then

.