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Tennessee's Republican lawmakers are using the events of last Monday as a scapegoat so they can avoid the recent shooting and say that they "have other priorities" 

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Tennessee's Republican lawmakers are using the events of last Monday as a scapegoat so they can avoid the recent shooting and say that they "have other priorities" 

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Why did the woman seemingly get exempt from the consequences that the two men had?

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Why did the woman seemingly get exempt from the consequences that the two men had?

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The actions of said Republican lawmakers should be appealed and precautions should be taken to get these expelled lawmakers back into office.

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The actions of said Republican lawmakers should be appealed and precautions should be taken to get these expelled lawmakers back into office.

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We have a democracy but sometimes it doesn't seem like it/fair

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We have a democracy but sometimes it doesn't seem like it/fair

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Tennessee's republican lawmakers chose to create political issues instead of preventing gun violence

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Tennessee's republican lawmakers chose to create political issues instead of preventing gun violence

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Should be thought about more and addressing who this is affecting and hurting

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Should be thought about more and addressing who this is affecting and hurting

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It is when the people can vote for someone to be in a government that speaks for the people and fights for what they believe in. 

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It is when the people can vote for someone to be in a government that speaks for the people and fights for what they believe in. 

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I think there shoukd be an appeal and a reconsideration of what happened. Now there are thousands of people without the full representation needed.

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I think there shoukd be an appeal and a reconsideration of what happened. Now there are thousands of people without the full representation needed.

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the legislators should rightfully be re-appointed, not having to be re-elected. Their constitutional rights were violated and they have the right to defend and also keep their government positions.

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the legislators should rightfully be re-appointed, not having to be re-elected. Their constitutional rights were violated and they have the right to defend and also keep their government positions.

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the republican lawmakers should reconsider their actions, as the two people who were expelled were only supporting peaceful protests against harming children 

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the republican lawmakers should reconsider their actions, as the two people who were expelled were only supporting peaceful protests against harming children 

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why were only the two men expelled and not the woman? what set her apart?

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why were only the two men expelled and not the woman? what set her apart?

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Everyones voices being heard and everyones opinions being thought about and taken into consideration

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Everyones voices being heard and everyones opinions being thought about and taken into consideration

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Although we are supposed to be in a democracy, it seems the the government of tennessee is in their own bubble. 

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Although we are supposed to be in a democracy, it seems the the government of tennessee is in their own bubble. 

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Representation is when all persepctives have the ability to be involved in the lawmaking process.

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giving everyone a say in how laws are made, who is elected to represent the people, having people with multiple different ideas work together

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giving everyone a say in how laws are made, who is elected to represent the people, having people with multiple different ideas work together

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It places hesitation in our lawmakers to fight for what they believe in as it may result in them being expelled

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It places hesitation in our lawmakers to fight for what they believe in as it may result in them being expelled

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Have there been any updates within the past few days?

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Have there been any updates within the past few days?

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Republican lawmakers are stripping the constitutional rights of a democracy and making the point of this government style meaningless; they are able to easily expel those elected officials and place in who they want to control the state, instead of who the people want.

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It takes away representation from many people. (their voices have basically been paused until now people are elected)

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It takes away representation from many people. (their voices have basically been paused until now people are elected)

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Why were they expelled? Theres absolutely no reason they should be expelled for protesting, and expressing their opinion in a PEACEFUL way...

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Why were they expelled? Theres absolutely no reason they should be expelled for protesting, and expressing their opinion in a PEACEFUL way...

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Giving the people a platform to be represented in government 

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Giving the people a platform to be represented in government 

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silences the people fighting (peacefully!) for the safety of everyone, makes it seem as if people do not care about the painful reality at hand

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silences the people fighting (peacefully!) for the safety of everyone, makes it seem as if people do not care about the painful reality at hand

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by take 2 legislaters and replacing then with 2 new ones

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by take 2 legislaters and replacing then with 2 new ones

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The choice of the citizens was overruled by the dominate party of the state, it takes the power away from the people

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the government seems to be very controlled. when a certain amount of people do not think the same was the majority, they are at the risk of being expelled. the government wants everyone to think and act the same so that it's easier to pass laws and/or make rules 

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the government seems to be very controlled. when a certain amount of people do not think the same was the majority, they are at the risk of being expelled. the government wants everyone to think and act the same so that it's easier to pass laws and/or make rules 

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The people being able to choose who makes decisions and represents them

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The people being able to choose who makes decisions and represents them

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giving all citizens right to share opinions through votes and elected officials

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giving all citizens right to share opinions through votes and elected officials

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Some people will do anything they can to make sure they have the power and their views/opinions reign superior

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Some people will do anything they can to make sure they have the power and their views/opinions reign superior

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By expulsing two legislaters and replacing them with someone who weasn't elected by the people, it takes away from what the people want. 

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By expulsing two legislaters and replacing them with someone who weasn't elected by the people, it takes away from what the people want. 

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Two of these legislators were wrongly evicted from their positions as law makers. I see this as unconstitutional considering the fact they were exercising their right to peaceful protest and are being punished for it.

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It temporarily makes it so a portion of Tennessee's voices are not heard since they no longer have a representative.  

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It temporarily makes it so a portion of Tennessee's voices are not heard since they no longer have a representative.  

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citizens of a country, state, chose who represents them

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citizens of a country, state, chose who represents them

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a way of  governing which depends of the will of the people 

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a way of  governing which depends of the will of the people 

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Democracy is a political system that involves citizens being able to elect people to represent there ideas in government

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What set of rules/criteria did the two legislators break to be expelled? It doesn't seem like they have done anything wrong from what we just learned, so I am interested to know what they were specifically expelled for, as the Republican lawmakers must have provided some reasoning...

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What set of rules/criteria did the two legislators break to be expelled? It doesn't seem like they have done anything wrong from what we just learned, so I am interested to know what they were specifically expelled for, as the Republican lawmakers must have provided some reasoning...

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Representing the people's views and letting our voices be heard through our representatives 

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Representing the people's views and letting our voices be heard through our representatives 

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The etymology of the word is very helpful here. Democracy comes from the Greek word Demokratia, Demo meaning people, kratos meaning power. From this a very basic definition of the word would be power to the /will of the people. Many movements throughout history  have disagreed on how to bring about or express this. The US's constitution interprets this definition by  creating a federal representative republic.As stated there are other potential ways of bringing the 'will of the People' to fruition

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citizens or the community elects people to represent them in the government

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citizens or the community elects people to represent them in the government

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Representation is having many different types of people of different backgrounds or views being shown in media, holding political positions, etc.

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Answer the questions to the right anonymously by adding posts below the questions.

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Jones and Pearson represent 140,000 constituents in Tennessee. News outlets are reporting that Nashville's city council and the Memphis board of commissioners will likely vote to allow Jones and Pearson (respectively) to reclaim their seats temporarily later this week so that their constituents don't feel disenfranchised by the absence of their representative.

Metropolitan Nashville and Memphis contain the bluest counties in Tennessee. And the Blackest counties in Tennessee.

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The Republican-controlled Tennessee state House of Representatives has expelled two Democratic lawmakers in what marks the first partisan expulsion in the state's modern history.

On April 6, state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson were expelled for allegedly violating the chamber's rules of decorum by participating in a gun control protest at the state Capitol last week. The protest was in response to the mass school shooting in Nashville that left three children and three adults dead.

Jones and Pearson used a bullhorn to lead chants on the House floor, briefly disrupting legislative business. Gloria Johnson, a fellow Democrat who also faced expulsion on Thursday for protesting but was not seen using the bullhorn, was spared from expulsion by one vote.

However, this isn't the first time the state legislature has ousted a member. The Tennessee state House used its power to expel only three other times in its long history, according to a 2019 report from the former state attorney general's office.

People react to the expulsion of the last member Rep. Justin Pearson on the day it is scheduled to vote to expel three Democratic members in Nashville, Tenn., April 6, 2023.

In 1866, the House expelled six members "for the contempt of the authority of this House."

In 1980, then-Rep. Robert Fisher, a Republican, was expelled after he was found guilty of accepting a bribe while in office, according to the attorney general.

The House argued the expulsion was best for Fisher's constituents because his actions reflect "adversely upon [its] integrity and dignity ... places a cloud upon [its] actions ... and is inconsistent with the public trust and duty of a member of this Body," according to the 2019 report.

In 2016, then-Rep. Jeremy Durham, a Republican, was expelled after reports detailed allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with several women over the course of his time in office, according to reporting by ABC affiliate WTVC.

The House expelled him for "disorderly conduct."

The state Senate has never exercised its power to expel a member, according to the AG report.

The United States Congress has rarely exercised this power. In its history, it has expelled 20 legislators -- five in the House and 15 in the Senate. Seventeen of these expulsions occurred around 1861 in the wake of secession of the Confederate States, according to the attorney general's office.

Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones speaks to supporters before he was expelled from the state Legislature on April 6, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn.

As for the other three:

In 1797, William Blount of Tennessee, a Republican, was expelled from the Senate for having "concocted a scheme for Indians and frontiersmen to attack Spanish Florida and Louisiana in order to transfer those territories to Great Britain" for his own financial gain, according to congressional documents.

In 1980, the House expelled then-Rep. Michael Myers, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, after he was indicted on bribery charges.

In 2002, then-Rep. James Traficant, a Democrat who represented Ohio, was expelled from the House when he was convicted on "federal corruption charges and for misuse of campaign funds," the attorney general's report reads.

Following the Thursday expulsion of Jones and Pearson, the legislators themselves -- among others -- criticized the move as "undemocratic."

Jones argued the "precedent that any member who voices dissent or opposition can be expelled from the legislative body."

"Today is a very dangerous day for America," Jones added in a hallway interview after the vote.

Johnson, who narrowly avoided expulsion, told reporters that the reason she kept her position and her Black colleagues didn't "might have to do with the color of our skin."

Republicans have denied allegations of racial discrimination.

"Our members literally didn't look at the ethnicity of the members up for expulsion," said Majority Leader William Lamberth, according to The Associated Press.

Tennessee state Rep. Jeremy Faison, the chair of the Republican Caucus, defended the move in an interview with CNN.

"It's not possible for us to move forward with the way they were behaving in committee and on the House floor," Faison said. "There's got to be some peace."

President Joe Biden criticized the move from the Republican-controlled legislature.

"On Monday, 7,000 Tennesseans, many of them students, marched to their state capitol to call on their lawmakers to take action and keep them safe," Biden said. "Instead, state Republican lawmakers called votes today to expel three Democratic legislators who stood in solidarity with students and families and helped lift their voices. Today's expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent."
ABC News' Amanda Su contributed to this report.

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Tennessee lawmaker expulsions: Has this happened before?

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The Republican-controlled Tennessee state House of Representatives has expelled two Democratic lawmakers in what marks the first partisan expulsion in the state's modern history. On April 6, state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson were expelled for allegedly violating the chamber's rules of decorum by participating in a gun control protest at the state Capitol last week.