Second Expelled Representative Re-appointed To His Seat

As was expected Shelby County commissioners on Wednesday voted to appoint Rep. Justin Pearson to fill his own seat on a temporary basis until a special election can be held. Pearson spoke to supporters outside the capitol building in Nashville yesterday saying that republican lawmakers had tried to destroy democracy but instead had awakend a sleeping giant. Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville were both expelled from the state house last Thursday for leading a protest on the floor of the house of repesentatives. Jones was reinstated earlier this week by Nashville’s Metro Council.

In the vote in Memphis yesterday that reinstated Pearson, the four republicans on the Memphis County Commission were absent. One of those representatives, Mick Wright issued a statement saying that while reinstating Pearson may be the choice of most of his constituents, he cannot defend the choices Pearson made on March 30th on the floor of the house. Wright went on to say “nor can I in good conscience contribute to what I see as a breakdown in our representative system of government.”