A few days after the mass shooting at a Nashville school, Tennessee House Republicans voted to expel two Black members for leading a gun reform demonstration on the House floor. In the interests of decorum, Republicans sidelined the need for debate on gun control, said Martin Luther King III. Tennessee director of the American Civil Liberties Union Kathy Sinback said the expulsions were without due process, and raised “questions about the disparate treatment of Black representatives, while continuing the shameful legacy of disenfranchising and silencing the voices of marginalized communities and the Black lawmakers they elect.” (CNN, April 7, 2023, by Elizabeth Wolfe and Raja Razek)
Free speech experts say that the expulsion was just the latest attempt of Republican state leaders across the country to stifle their opposition. Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression director Aaron Terr said the legislature could set rules of procedure but those rules should not be used to punish members for their views. (The Washington Post, April 7, 2023, by Annie Gowen and Tim Craig)