Two Tennessee lawmakers who had been expelled from the state’s general assembly, won back their seats in a special election. According to The Associated Press, Memphis Rep. Justin Pearson and Nashville Rep. Justin Jones have officially reclaimed their seats in the Legislature.
The pair was expelled for leading a gun control protest on the House floor in April.
The protest and expulsion came after a gunman killed six people, including three children at a school in Nashville.
Republicans used their supermajority to remove them from office, saying they broke the rules of decorum and disrupted the work of the House. However, they were both quickly reappointed by local government officials to fill the positions on an interim basis until the special election.
President Joe Biden hosted the lawmakers at the White House and called their expulsion “undemocratic.”
Thursday’s election comes as lawmakers in Tennessee prepare for a special session later in August to consider changing the state’s gun laws.
While Jones and Pearson’s reelection will not change the Legislature’s Republican supermajority, they are expected to push back heavily against some GOP colleagues’ proposals.
