Justin Pearson becomes second expelled Tennessee lawmaker to be reinstated

The second of two Tennessee lawmakers expelled from the state legislature after leading a gun control protest on the chamber floor has been reinstated.

Justin Pearson, 29, got his seat back after a unanimous vote from seven members of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

His colleague Justin Jones, 27, was similarly voted back to the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday.

The two Democrats were expelled last week by the Republican-run statehouse.

They were removed days after a school shooting in Nashville that left six people dead, including three children.

After Wednesday's vote, Mr Pearson addressed the crowd, saying: "You can't expel hope. You can't expel justice. You can't expel our voice. And you sure can't expel our fight. We look forward to continuing to fight."

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners, mostly made up of Democrats, sent the young legislator back to the statehouse to represent House District 86, which includes Memphis.

Both Mr Pearson and Mr Jones will serve as interim representatives.

Special elections will occur in the coming months - and both lawmakers said they plan to run.

"I think that it's important that the people of District 86 are represented by the person that they voted overwhelming to have in the office," said Shelby County Commission Chairman Mickell Lowery in an interview.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mr Pearson led a march starting at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.

"This is the democracy that is going to lift up the victims of gun violence instead of supporting the NRA and the gun lobbyists," he told supporters.

Republican members had accused three Democrats, Mr Pearson, Mr Jones and Gloria Johnson, of bringing "disorder and dishonour" to the chamber when they led protesters at the statehouse on 30 March.

Ms Johnson narrowly survived an expulsion vote. Republicans said she played a smaller role in the protest and did not use a megaphone. Ms Johnson, who is white, gave another explanation. "It might have to do with the colour of our skin," she said.

Mr Pearson and Mr Jones are black.

A group of Senate Democrats called on the Department of Justice to investigate the expulsion of Mr Pearson and Mr Jones to "determine whether any violations of the United States Constitution or federal civil rights laws have occurred".

The letter was signed by majority leader Chuck Schumer and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, among others.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper appeared at the council meeting on Monday for Mr Jones, where he told the chamber their expulsion vote was "unprecedented".

"Let's give the district their voice back. I call this body to give them their voice back now," he said.

Mr Jones and Mr Pearson between them represent about 140,000 constituents in the state.

Some constituents told BBC News they felt disenfranchised by the vote to oust the pair, known as the Justins.

President Joe Biden also criticised the move as "undemocratic".

The use of expulsion in the Tennessee statehouse had only previously been used twice since the Civil War.