Tennessee Republicans ordered Nashville Democrat to resign after the Pledge of Allegiance incident

Justin Jones, a Democrat representing parts of Nashville, was asked to resign after he declined to “lead them in the pledge of allegiance.” Jones was expelled and reinstated for protesting for gun control days after the 2023 Covenant School shooting.

State Representative called Jones a “disgrace”

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The New York Times reported that Jones “quietly declined” to lead the House in the Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday. GOP’s Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Faison asked for Jones’ resignation and called him a “disgrace.”

Faison on the floor

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The Republican had a message for his Democratic colleague in the House, “It’s shameful that you can come into this chamber to actually serve in here.” He added, “You have to raise your hand and swear an oath to the constitution. You’ve been fortunate enough to serve in a chamber of the United States of America. That flag represents the constitution to me; you can’t break the two apart.”

Faison expressed anger on social media

Faison wrote on X, “It is incredibly hypocritical and insulting to refuse pledging allegiance to the very flag that embodies our freedoms and the sacrifices of millions of Americans. If you do not respect our nation, its flag, and all of those who have sacrificed for them, then you should not hold public office.”

Jones explained his motives

Initially, Jones wrote on X, “Yesterday, my Republican colleagues called on me to resign for declining to lead them in the pledge of allegiance.” He continued, “I couldn’t bring myself to join their performative patriotism as they continue to support an insurrectionist for president and undermine liberty and justice for all.”

Jones will not resign

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The 28-year-old representative consulted the House Ethics Council on the Pledge of Allegiance House rules. He declined and issued a statement once he confirmed that any regulations did not obligate him. Jones also said he will not resign.

Jones’s statement

The representative said in a statement that his colleagues previously attacked “liberty and justice for all” while supporting a “President who incited an insurrection against our nation.” He continued, “It’s ironic that the same legislators who champion Confederate flags and monuments now want to lecture others about what patriotism should look like.”

Jones’s idea

The Democrat added in a statement, “Perhaps Speaker Sexton, who has still refused to answer for not actually living in his district and inappropriate relationships with lobbyists, should resign.”

Sexton and Jones often clash

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In late August, Jones accused Sexton of silencing him after he proposed “a vote of no confidence” against the speaker. Jones also slammed the House Speaker over “authoritarianism.”

Prayer or pledge

During the debacle with the Pledge of Allegiance, House Speaker Sexton took the floor and said, “Representative Jones has declined to say the prayer. He asked for someone else for their assistance.” A Memphis Democrat and Minority Leader, Karen Camper, led the pledge, not a prayer.

Democratic lawmaker supported Jones

G.A. Hardaway, a Memphis Democrat, said, according to News Channel 5, “We haven’t earned the right to try to tell any one of our fellow members to drop their constitutional rights at the door of the chambers. We’re supposed to be the body that ensures the constitutional rights and guarantees are protected.”

“All power to him”

Hardaway concluded, “Whatever Representative Jones wants to do in exercising his right to express himself in the chambers and is within the rules and within the law, all power to him.”

The “Tennessee 3”

Justin Pearson and Justin Jones reclaimed their seats after they were expelled for being involved in protests asking for gun control. The third member of the “Tennessee 3,” Gloria Johnson, who is White, escaped expulsion. Jones and Pearson were ousted “for violating decorum rules by participating in a gun control protest on the House floor.”