Justin Pearson Could Return to Tennessee House Days After Justin ...

Justin Pearson could be headed back to the Tennessee House of Representatives only days after his fellow expelled Democrat Justin Jones made a swift return.

Republican lawmakers voted to expel Pearson and Jones on Thursday for breaching decorum by speaking out of turn during a House session the previous week, when they participated in a youth-led gun-control protest that took place in the wake of Nashville's Covenant School shooting. Jones was sworn back into office on Monday, shortly after the Nashville Metropolitan Council held a unanimous vote to reinstate him.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is set to hold a vote on reinstating Pearson Wednesday, raising the possibility that both Democrats could return to the state House less than a week after they were expelled. Due to the expulsions, Pearson and Jones' seats are being filled on an interim basis and will both feature in special elections to be announced at a later date.

Shelby County Commission Chairman Mickell Lowery announced on Sunday that the board would consider an "action to reappoint Mr. Justin Pearson to his duly elected position" during the Wednesday meeting. Some board members have already indicated that they may vote in favor of Pearson's reinstatement, who was elected to serve an overwhelmingly Democratic district in Memphis.

"I believe the expulsion of State Representative Justin Pearson was conducted in a hasty manner without consideration of other corrective action methods," Lowery said in a statement while announcing the meeting. "I also believe that the ramifications for our great State are still yet to be seen."

Speculation that Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton might try to block the Democrats from being reinstated was put to rest by his spokesperson Doug Kufner earlier on Monday, who said that whomever the local governments appoint would "be seated as representatives as the constitution requires," according to the Associated Press.

Lawyers for Jones, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, on the same day sent a letter to Sexton warning him against trying to block the reinstatements, writing that "any partisan retributive action" would be unconstitutional and "require redress."

Jones marched with supporters to the steps of the state Capitol to be sworn in just after the Nashville council voted him back in. Pearson wrote that "the voice of the people are back in the People's House" while sharing a video of Jones speaking following his reinstatement.

"I want to welcome the people back to the people's House," Jones says in the video, prompting cheers from supporters in the gallery. "I want to welcome democracy back to the people's House. Last Thursday, members of this body tried to crucify democracy."

A vote to expel a third Democratic member of the Tennessee House who took part in the gun-control protest, Representative Gloria Johnson, failed by one vote last week. Some accused Republicans of racism, pointing out that Johnson is white while both Jones and Pearson are Black.

Newsweek has reached out via email to Pearson's campaign for comment.