Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Republican Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Cameron Sexton, have been working on opposite sides of the aisle since Jones took his seat in January 2023.
[NOTE: In April, after six people were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School outside of Nashville, Jones and fellow Democratic state senators Justin J. Pearson and Gloria Johnson participated in a gun control protest on the House floor, which violated the chamber’s decorum rules. House Speaker Sexton led the effort to expel the three members and compared the protest to the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Through a special election, Jones and Pearson reclaimed their seats.]
Well, Mr. Speaker, the People have spoken.
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) August 4, 2023
The FIND OUT era of politics is just beginning.
See you August 21st for special session. pic.twitter.com/DoL3XvYheX
During a recent TV interview (see below), Sexton warned House Democrats that “if things keep happening, it may not be as bipartisan as we have [been] in the past, and that would be a shame, but I mean, I could see that that is possible, going down the road.”
@davidwontshutup #CameronSexton threatens Democrats by saying “If things keep happening it may not be as bipartisan…” 🤦🏻♂️ Does he know what #bipartisanship means? Things in #tennessee politics are one sided as Sexton and his #republican legislative cronies silence #Democrats and refuse to work with them. Sexton is a racist and a dummy! #thetennesseethree #nashville #justinpearson #justinjones ♬ original sound – David Won’t Shut Up!
Jones reacted on X: “The Speaker threatened in a recent interview that if our leadership doesn’t get us in line, there will be consequences and it will no longer be ‘bipartisan.’ They think the legislature is a plantation house or private country club, but those days are over. See you in January.”
The Speaker threatened in a recent interview that if our leadership doesn’t get us in line, there will be consequences and it will no longer be “bipartisan.”
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) December 29, 2023
They think the legislature is a plantation house or private country club, but those days are over.
See you in January.
In October, Jones filed a federal lawsuit against Sexton, accusing the House Speaker of restricting Jones’s right to free speech and for giving him “disparate racial treatment.”
