Justin Jones to call for vote of no confidence in Tennessee House Speaker

Tennessee Democrat state Rep. Justin Jones is planning to call for a vote of no confidence in the state House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R), he announced Monday.

“This morning, my office delivered this letter to Speaker Cameron Sexton and my legislative colleagues, sharing the intent to call for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker due to his continued abuse of power and dishonor to the public office he holds,” Jones wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Tennesseans deserve better,” he added.

Jones wrote in the letter that Sexton is “determined to continue leading our state down the path to failure, humiliation and authoritarianism.” He accused the speaker of violating the mandate of public service, saying that his actions have “desecrated the standing of this body,” which is why is he calling for the vote of no confidence.

Jones listed out a dozen examples of why he was calling for a no confidence vote for Sexton, including enacting rules that restrict signs, his “unwillingness” to engage in conversations about gun violence and “continuing to silent members who express dissent personal” to him.

“It is for these reasons that the House must perform its duty to hold the Speaker to account and exercise an internal check on power,” he wrote. “In the face of these serious accusations it is the responsibility of this body to be fair and impartial and decide a course that is best for Tennessee.”

However, it is unlikely a vote of no confidence will succeed in the Republican-controlled House that voted to oust two Democratic lawmakers earlier this year.

Jones, alongside Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson, interrupted House proceedings in late March to protest for gun control after a mass shooting at a Nashville school. Republicans succeeded in expelling Pearson and Jones, who are Black, from the body, while Johnson, who is white, was not expelled.

Both Jones and Pearson were reelected earlier this month and have rejoined the Legislature representing Nashville and Memphis, respectively.

Since then, Jones, Pearson and Johnson have been dubbed the “Tennessee Three” as they garnered national attention. The three of them also railed against new House rules earlier this month that attempted to limit what members could say on the floor.