Nashville votes to send Jones back to Tennessee House

(The Center Square) – Metro Nashville is sending Justin Jones back to Tennessee’s House of Representatives.Without objection, the council suspended its rules to immediately nominate and approve Jones to fill the District 52 seat as Jones sat in the gallery.“This afternoon’s vote is unprecedented,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said. “But so were the actions [of the Legislature].”Jones was nominated by Council Member Delishia Porterfield, who ran against Jones in the Democratic primary for the seat, and then approved Jones to fill the seat by a 36-0 vote.“We are restoring the political voice of the 70,000 people of District 52,” Porterfield said.Jones was removed from his seat with a 72-5 vote along with Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, in a marathon House session on Thursday that lasted 10 hours. Rep. Gloria Johnston, D-Knoxville, narrowly missed dismissal.Memphis plans to hold a special meeting Wednesday to potentially nominate Pearson to fill his former seat.The pair were dismissed after walking to the front of the House during session on March 30 and chanting with protesters before Jones took out a bullhorn and chanted with members of the public in the balcony.The gun control protest happened following a shooting on March 27 at Nashville’s Covenant School that left three students and three staff members along with the shooter dead.