When the Tennessee legislature convened on Thursday, custom dictated that Representative Justin Jones, the Nashville Democrat who was expelled last year, take his turn to lead the House in the Pledge of Allegiance.
He quietly declined, and once again drew the ire of Republicans.
Saying that Mr. Jones’s behavior was a “disgrace,” State Representative Jeremy Faison, a member of the Republican leadership, went so far as to call for his resignation.
Mr. Jones, who has risen in national prominence by sparring with the state’s Republican supermajority, later responded that he “couldn’t bring myself to join their performative patriotism,” given the party’s support for former President Donald J. Trump and what Mr. Jones described as an effort to “undermine liberty and justice for all.”It was one of the clearest signs yet that the animosity from 2023, when Republicans expelled Mr. Jones and State Representative Justin Pearson of Memphis for leading a gun control protest on the House floor, had spilled into the new year.
Persons:
Justin Jones, Jeremy Faison, Jones, couldn’t, ”, Donald J, Mr, Justin Pearson
Organizations:
Nashville Democrat, Republican, Trump, State
Locations:
Tennessee, Memphis
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