Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee were officially relieved of their places in all standing committees and subcommittees in the state’s lower legislative chamber following disruptive protests at a special session on congressional redistricting, according to reports.
“You have been removed from all House standing committees and subcommittees,” the body of the terse Tuesday letter from Republican Tennessee Speaker Cameron Sexton to Democratic Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones, read. Other Democrat lawmakers each received a similarly worded letter, photos shared by WZTV Fox 17 Nashville show.
The Democratic Tennessee Caucus leader, Karen Camper, was allowed to remain on one committee as the House rules permitted, one of the photos show.
Sexton alleged in a separate letter to Camper that Democrat lawmakers interlinked arms in the well of the house, blocked aisles on the House floor, incited and abetted “paid protestors and attendees in the gallery” to disrupt the legislative process during the May 7 special redistricting session, used “prohibited props and noisemakers on the House Floor,” and violated House rules, among other things, another photo shared by the outlet shows.
“This move strips nearly 2 million Tennesseans from the representation they deserve in TN state leg[islature],” Democratic Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson said.
Lawmakers ultimately approved the new congressional map during the session, the outlet reported.
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who encouraged and defended the redistricting move, signed the new map into law. The state’s sole largely Black and lone Democratic district was erased, according to reports.
The majority-Republican Tennessee House of Representatives comprises 75 Republican and 24 Democrat lawmakers.
Republicans appear to be winning the redistricting war, emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent rulings, the New York Times reported. Republicans, with 23 trifectas across the country as against the Democrats’ 16 trifectas, in most cases kept the redistricting power with their state legislatures, while some Democrat-leaning states granted that power to independent commissions to facilitate a less political redistricting process, according to the outlet. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Earliest Opportunity’ — Gov Opens Door To Redrawing Maps After SCOTUS Nukes Race-Based Districting)
While Republicans continue to rapidly redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterms with the aid of their lawmakers, Democrats’ adoption of independent commissions spelt tortuous attempts to pivot from that position, the outlet noted.
Republicans still face the headwinds of dissatisfaction among many Americans over affordability, inflation, the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and the staggering cost of the war, CNN reported.