Is no one above the law (in Tennessee)?

[Aldebaran]

The common mantra we've heard after the protest at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 is that no one is above the law. However, the law seems to be applied a bit differently depending on who is doing the protesting. In the case of 2 individuals who are lawmakers in Tennessee, they got to break the rules of decorum, and halt the legislative process to use bullhorns to drown out the voices of those they don't agree with.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/04/12/black-democratic-legislators-reinstated-tennessee/

MEMPHIS — Justin Pearson, one of two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled by Republican state representatives for leading a gun-control protest on the Tennessee House floor, was reappointed to the office Wednesday, returning to his seat after a tumultuous week that deepened partisan rancor in the state and transformed the pair into national political figures.

Not only do they not sit in solitary confinement for a couple years while awaiting a trial that results in keeping them imprisoned, they get to still be lawmakers in the very place they committed the violations that got them expelled.

I wonder what special classification they fall under that protects them from facing the same consequences as hundreds of others that continue to be imprisoned for essentially the same thing.

 

[Hans Blaster]

The common mantra we've heard after the protest at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 is that no one is above the law. However, the law seems to be applied a bit differently depending on who is doing the protesting. In the case of 2 individuals who are lawmakers in Tennessee, they got to break the rules of decorum, and halt the legislative process to use bullhorns to drown out the voices of those they don't agree with.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/04/12/black-democratic-legislators-reinstated-tennessee/

MEMPHIS — Justin Pearson, one of two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled by Republican state representatives for leading a gun-control protest on the Tennessee House floor, was reappointed to the office Wednesday, returning to his seat after a tumultuous week that deepened partisan rancor in the state and transformed the pair into national political figures.

Not only do they not sit in solitary confinement for a couple years while awaiting a trial that results in keeping them imprisoned, they get to still be lawmakers in the very place they committed the violations that got them expelled.

I wonder what special classification they fall under that protects them from facing the same consequences as hundreds of others that continue to be imprisoned for essentially the same thing.

1. Which part of the Tennessee Code did the two men violate?

2. They were both *MEMBERS* of the Tennessee legislature with privileges to speak on the floor. No one arrested for Jan6 is a member of Congress or had floor privileges (or even building access privileges).

3. They were accused of violating the rules of the House and subject to the discipline of the House. As such they were expelled. The vacancies created were filled under Tennessee law. None of this applies to any of the 1000 persons arrested for J6 since none of those people were members of Congress or staffers, unlike in Tennessee.

 

[FenderTL5]

The 'breaking of decorum' in this case was quite simply and literally speaking without the Speaker of the House (SOH) calling on them to speak.
This took place during a recess between bills/readings, so to say they disrupted anything is questionable.

Now, if you can show that they broke a law (any law), perhaps you could make a point.

 

[essentialsaltes]

they get to still be lawmakers

No. They were expelled. And their constituencies made them again lawmakers.

 

[tz620q]

1. Which part of the Tennessee Code did the two men violate?

2. They were both *MEMBERS* of the Tennessee legislature with privileges to speak on the floor. No one arrested for Jan6 is a member of Congress or had floor privileges (or even building access privileges).

3. They were accused of violating the rules of the House and subject to the discipline of the House. As such they were expelled. The vacancies created were filled under Tennessee law. None of this applies to any of the 1000 persons arrested for J6 since none of those people were members of Congress or staffers, unlike in Tennessee.

While I agree with everything you have written here, I can't help but wonder if these "legislators" aren't merely activists waiting for a moment to get there 15 minutes of fame. For one, the bill that was before the Tennessee legislature that they interrupted was to approve funding for more school resource officers, a move that might have had a beneficial effect on the Covenant School shooting considering Audrey Hale seems to have picked the school because she felt it was a soft target. These three have pulled attention of the community away from the grieving families and the hero police officers.

The one issue with thrusting yourself into the public spotlight as they have done is that the harsh lighting shows every line in your face. Video has surfaced of Justin Jones standing on a police car during the 2020 BLM riots. Most of the commentary is expletives; but after he jumped down people commenced to break the windows and spray paint the car. This act got arrest warrants out on him; but the charges were dropped by the DA the next day.

This isn't the first time Justin Jones was thrown out of the Tennessee capitol building, in 2019, he threw a cup of coffee into an elevator hitting the Speaker of the House. Here is the article in "The Tennessean".

 

[HTacianas]

The common mantra we've heard after the protest at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 is that no one is above the law. However, the law seems to be applied a bit differently depending on who is doing the protesting. In the case of 2 individuals who are lawmakers in Tennessee, they got to break the rules of decorum, and halt the legislative process to use bullhorns to drown out the voices of those they don't agree with.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/04/12/black-democratic-legislators-reinstated-tennessee/

MEMPHIS — Justin Pearson, one of two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled by Republican state representatives for leading a gun-control protest on the Tennessee House floor, was reappointed to the office Wednesday, returning to his seat after a tumultuous week that deepened partisan rancor in the state and transformed the pair into national political figures.

Not only do they not sit in solitary confinement for a couple years while awaiting a trial that results in keeping them imprisoned, they get to still be lawmakers in the very place they committed the violations that got them expelled.

I wonder what special classification they fall under that protects them from facing the same consequences as hundreds of others that continue to be imprisoned for essentially the same thing.

They also assembled a mob outside the Tennessee Capitol. And you're right. Interrupting the Senate draws harsh penalties. Interrupting a State Legislature gets you a visit from the Vice President who encourages you to keep doing it. Maybe we should do away with Robert's Rules of Order and concede every point to whomever shouts the loudest. Provided they're on the right side of the issue.

 

[tz620q]

They also assembled a mob outside the Tennessee Capitol. And you're right. Interrupting the Senate draws harsh penalties. Interrupting a State Legislature gets you a visit from the Vice President who encourages you to keep doing it. Maybe we should do away with Robert's Rules of Order and concede every point to whomever shouts the loudest. Provided they're on the right side of the issue.

This is what infuriated me. I think it was a mistake to expel these members, if for no other reason than it gave them and the main stream media a bigger megaphone. It would have been better to merely censure them and threaten to pull them from committee assignments. That said, this mistake has been trumpeted over and over again, distracting from the mistakes of many others. Kamala Harris visiting Nashville and ignoring the people directly involved with the shooting to show support for these two black activists speaks to her smarmy take on politics over people.

 

[Hans Blaster]

They also assembled a mob outside the Tennessee Capitol.

I thought about a detailed analysis of this statement, but then remembered this is a what-about-ism thread, so I'll let it pass.

 

[HTacianas]

I thought about a detailed analysis of this statement, but then remembered this is a what-about-ism thread, so I'll let it pass.

One man's "what-about-ism" is another man's equal protection of law. It's one of the bedrock principles of a civilized society.

 

[Yttrium]

One man's "what-about-ism" is another man's equal protection of law. It's one of the bedrock principles of a civilized society.

Sure, if it can be demonstrated that these two were somehow trying to undo a US presidential election with their actions, then I'd be in favor of locking them up.

 

[HTacianas]

Sure, if it can be demonstrated that these two were somehow trying to undo a US presidential election with their actions, then I'd be in favor of locking them up.

Stacey Abrams cried election fraud, voter suppression, intimidation, and on and on then raised hundreds of thousands of dollars off of it. She refused to concede the Georgia Governor's election because she claimed it was rigged by her opponent and then was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

 

[Hans Blaster]

One man's "what-about-ism" is another man's equal protection of law. It's one of the bedrock principles of a civilized society.

The whole thread (as is clear in the OP) is about equivocating about Jan 6.

 

[HTacianas]

The whole thread (as is clear in the OP) is about equivocating about Jan 6.

Equivocating is a fundamental principle of law.

 

[Yttrium]

Stacey Abrams cried election fraud, voter suppression, intimidation, and on and on then raised hundreds of thousands of dollars off of it. She refused to concede the Georgia Governor's election because she claimed it was rigged by her opponent and then was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

Despicable. Yet legal. I will certainly not vote for her for anything. Not that I'm in a position to.

 

[FenderTL5]

Stacey Abrams cried election fraud, voter suppression, intimidation, and on and on then raised hundreds of thousands of dollars off of it. She refused to concede the Georgia Governor's election because she claimed it was rigged by her opponent and then was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

Stacy Abrams?
What does she have to do with Tennessee and the event in Tennessee being discussed?

 

[FenderTL5]

For one, the bill that was before the Tennessee legislature that they interrupted was to approve funding for more school resource officers

Where does this information come from?

It was my understanding that the state Legislature was not addressing ANY "guns at schools" related issues that day.
Which is why the 3 took to the well to speak on that issue, in addition to a large number of students and teachers also present and vocal that day.

Here's a link to the Legislative calendar, no such legislation was on the docket for that day. Just curious where you heard that was the topic at hand when the disruption took place.

 

[Aldebaran]

They also assembled a mob outside the Tennessee Capitol. And you're right. Interrupting the Senate draws harsh penalties. Interrupting a State Legislature gets you a visit from the Vice President who encourages you to keep doing it. Maybe we should do away with Robert's Rules of Order and concede every point to whomever shouts the loudest. Provided they're on the right side of the issue.

She was probably there to congratulate them for not stopping.
“They’re not going to stop,” Harris said at the time. “This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not going to stop and everyone beware, because they’re not going to stop. They’re not going to stop before Election Day in November and they’re not going to stop after Election Day. Everyone should take note of that on both levels. They’re not going to let up and they should not and we should not.”

Flashback: Kamala Harris said nationwide protests are 'not going to stop'

Sen. Harris’ remarks came during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on June 17.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Aldebaran]

The whole thread (as is clear in the OP) is about equivocating about Jan 6.

Is anything similar to Jan 6th Godwin's Law now (when referenced by those who aren't supposed to speak of it)?

 

[tz620q]

Where does this information come from?

It was my understanding that the state Legislature was not addressing ANY "guns at schools" related issues that day.
Which is why the 3 took to the well to speak on that issue, in addition to a large number of students and teachers also present and vocal that day.

Here's a link to the Legislative calendar, no such legislation was on the docket for that day. Just curious where you heard that was the topic at hand when the disruption took place.

I could be wrong; but it appears like this calendar is the scheduled bills coming before the joint session. Shifting events, like the school shooting and the protests that followed resulted in two things being brought forward quickly. The first is the bill to harden schools and the second is the Governor's budget for 2023. Both of these things had been in the works before the shooting; but there was a need to expedite them. Here is a link to a news release from the Governor that came out the next Monday (April 3). As far as a source, I heard it in an interview with one of the Republican members of the Tennessee legislature. A quick search could not uncover a link online to that. Here is one of the more balanced accounts of the events that I could find in The Tennessean. Again, I could be wrong; but it seems like the timing would support what the Republican member said.

 

[tz620q]

Where does this information come from?

It was my understanding that the state Legislature was not addressing ANY "guns at schools" related issues that day.
Which is why the 3 took to the well to speak on that issue, in addition to a large number of students and teachers also present and vocal that day.

Here's a link to the Legislative calendar, no such legislation was on the docket for that day. Just curious where you heard that was the topic at hand when the disruption took place.

I looked up the history of HB322/SB274. It can be found here. The only thing shown on 3/30/23 related to HB322 coming before the House Calendar and Rules Committee. That would have been to merely seek a date for final debate and voting. So that would not have placed it on the docket for 3/30. I don't like to take anyone's word on this without corroboration, so the Republican legislator could have been trying to score political points at the expense of truth; but I wasn't there to really know what happened. What I know happened is that the bill was passed on 4/6/23 by a bipartisan vote of 95-4. The four nays included the Tennessee three. Shortly after voting nay against a bill to make schools harder for gunmen to enter, two of the Tennessee three were expelled.