The eviction of two Tennessee Democrats over a gun control protest is an extraordinary demonstration of how the levers of one-party power in America’s statehouses can be used not only to eliminate opponents, but to punish them.

On any given day in Tennessee, Republicans have the overwhelming majority to pass just about any law they want. The lopsided dynamic is common in many US statehouses, including where the Democrats are in charge, and it has widened under gerrymandered voting maps that redraw legislative district boundaries to dilute opposition party votes.

But in Expel Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson

all together

of the Tennessee legislature on Thursday, Republicans went beyond their typical ability to steamroll Democrats. Instead, they maximized their parliamentary power to demand retribution.

Republicans not only had the votes to oust lawmakers, one of the few times such a drastic measure has been taken

in the state

since the civil war, they have suspended the rules of procedure to expedite the process.

Tennessee’s House evicts two of three Democrats involved in gun control protests

The evictions reverberated far beyond Tennessee, and Democrats in similarly outnumbered states took notice. GOP leaders defended their actions as necessary to send a signal that disruptive protests at the Tennessee House would not be tolerated.

A third Democrat, Rep. Gloria Johnson, was narrowly spared eviction by a margin of one vote.

The erosion of democracy in the state legislature is what brought us here,” Pearson said after his impeachment. wrong.

THE TENNESSEE VOICE

In Tennessee, the Republicans have supermajority control in both the House and Senate and have had full control of the legislature since 2008.

But in the House, GOP members have increasingly used parliamentary maneuvers to shut down debate, particularly on controversial topics ranging from abortion to LGBTQ+ issues and guns. Republicans have used a legislative tactic known as popping the question, which forces an immediate vote on a bill and cuts off debate that could otherwise drag on for hours.

In the days leading up to the eviction hearing, Republicans also used what’s known as suspending the rules, which allows lawmakers to circumvent standard procedure, such as what happened Thursday, when lawmakers suspended rules to allow the so-called Tennessee Three to self-declare. to defend.

Suspending the rules does not always lead to division. For example, it can be used to speed up the passage of non-controversial bills, but it can also create tensions.

What happens next for Tennessee’s ousted Democratic legislators?

Democrats who spoke

during the day

Thursday spent most of their time calling on Republicans to pass some sort of gun control legislation in the wake of the Nashville school shooting. But they also accused their GOP colleagues of using the rules to minimize debate on other issues during the legislature.

Several Democrats joked on Thursday that they normally weren’t allowed to talk that long, but got a sort of small pause during the hearing because of the national attention it had drawn.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, rejected suggestions that Democrats have been silenced and said lawmakers have many opportunities to speak out at legislative committee hearings and on the House floor.

We didn’t hear anyone complain, Sexton said. People raise their hands to be recognized. I don’t know who’s going to ask the question.”

LEGAL TACTICS

The aggressive actions of the Tennessee Republicans showed a flip side of the parliamentary tactics that minority lawmakers often use as a last-ditch effort to thwart the other side. Among the most common are filibusters, in which legislators try to run the clock on a bill through lengthy speeches.

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In Nebraska, a filibuster shut down legislation for weeks this year over GOP legislation that would place restrictions on the rights of transgender people. State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, a Democrat, introduced amendment after amendment to every bill on the Senate floor, taking all eight allowed debates each day.

Two years ago, Democrats in Texas temporarily halted approval of new voting restrictions for weeks by breaking the quorum and going on strike for 38 days. They had quietly walked out of the House chamber one by one as they faced the potential of Republicans asking for a decisive vote before midnight to pass the bill.

NUCLEAR OPTION’

Texas State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, who helped drive the 2021 Democrats’ strike, described the issue as a nuclear option and criticized it.

like it

an offensive tactic to stop the debate.

On Friday, he called the evictions in Tennessee a warning to legislators in minority parties to keep their guard up. He said he was especially aware of how state legislators act at a time when Washington is deadlocked and the Supreme Court is raising controversial issues. back to the states to decide.

If you knowingly silence voices by changing rules, I think that’s a significant attack on our democracy,” Fischer said.

Weber reported from Austin, Texas.