DAILY MAIL
- Justin Jones, 27; Justin Pearson, 28; and Gloria Johnson, 61, all protested demanding tougher gun control in April: the two young black men were expelled
- Jones and Pearson’s case drew national attention, and Johnson said the legislature was racist: they were temporarily reinstated a week later
- On Thursday both Jones and Pearson won the special election to officially reinstate them and leave them free to complete their terms
Two Tennessee politicians who were expelled from the state legislature for protesting in favor of tougher gun control won re-election on Thursday, ensuring their return after four months of turmoil.
Justin Jones, 27; Justin Pearson, 28; and Gloria Johnson, 61, became known as the Tennessee Three after they faced censure by the legislature for their rowdy April protest on the floor of the House.
Their protest came days after three nine-year-old children and three adults were killed in a Nashville school shooting.
Jones and Pearson, who are both black, were expelled: Johnson, who is white, avoided expulsion and said the legislature was racist.
The two young black men were temporarily restored to the legislature after a week, amid a blaze of publicity – Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Barack Obama all praised them for taking a stance, and Biden invited them to the White House to discuss gun control.
On Thursday, they both won re-election to their seats in a special election held after the expulsion…
