Chaos on Tennessee House floor as speaker shoves Black lawmaker

The Tennessee special session on public safety ended in chaos on Tuesday. A physical conflict broke out between House Speaker Cameron Sexton and state Rep. Justin J. Pearson while citizens in the gallery chanted for Republicans to be voted out of office. After Monday saw Republicans vote to silence Rep. Justin Jones before he could call for a vote of no confidence in the speaker, the Republican-controlled legislature forced through an adjournment of the House sine die on Tuesday. The General Assembly isn’t currently scheduled to reconvene until January 2024.

As Sexton made to exit the chamber, Jones and Pearson stood on opposite sides of him, holding small protest signs. Sexton tried to slip past a throng of lawmakers and dropped his shoulder into Pearson. Multiple men then moved between Pearson and Sexton as the two lawmakers got into a shouting match, with the speaker pointing his finger threateningly at Pearson. WKRN News 2 provided video of the disorder.

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