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Tennessee expulsions prompt Senate Democrats to call for DOJ inquiry

A letter signed by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, among others, asks investigators to examine whether state lawmakers had their rights violated

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April 12, 2023 at 10:28 a.m. EDT
Justin Jones speaks to supporters before he was reinstated by the Nashville Metropolitan Council. Justin Pearson is expected to be reinstated by Memphis authorities. (Michael A. McCoy for The Washington Post /for The Washington Post)
4 min

Senate Democrats are urging the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into the expulsions of two Tennessee state representatives to determine whether their removal violated the Constitution or federal civil rights law.

In a letter delivered on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) call on Attorney General Merrick Garland to “use all available legal authorities” to conclude whether federal statutes were violated and “take all steps necessary to uphold the democratic integrity of our nation’s legislative bodies.”