Tennessee Speaker Removes Democrats from Committees

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton removed all Democratic members from the chamber's standing committees and subcommittees on Tuesday, citing disruptions they caused during a special legislative session on congressional redistricting.

Sexton, a Republican, sent letters to House Democratic Leader Karen Camper and individual caucus members, accusing them of actions that disrupted legislative proceedings and created disorder on the House floor. The cited behaviors included lawmakers interlocking arms in the well of the House, blocking aisles, encouraging disruptions from protesters and attendees in the gallery, distributing earplugs to a Democratic colleague, and using prohibited props and noisemakers. Camper's letter specified that she would remain on the Government Operations Committee, as required by House rules. The removals will remain in effect until the next legislative session.

The penalties followed a contentious vote last Thursday in Nashville, when the Republican-controlled House approved a new congressional map. Republicans hold 75 of the House's 99 seats. The redrawn boundaries dismantle the Ninth Congressional District, a Black-majority area centered on Memphis...