NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Rep. Justin Jones has filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
He claims that the defendents have blocked him from expressing views on critical issues which violates the first amendment.
The lawsuit states that Jones "has standing" to bring the following claims as Sexton's actions "infringed his rights under the United States Constitution and state law, and his injuries can be redressed by injunctive and other relief ordered by this Court."
They also state that Jones suffered injury-in-fact after being denied his right to "speak and to be heard".
This comes after Tennessee's recent heated special session on public safety, in which at once point the Tennessee House struck Rep. Jones out of order rendering him silent.
Jones alleged that there was a violation of the First Amendment and that the changes made to the "Rules of Order of the Tennessee House of Representatives violate the US and Tennessee Constitutions".
He states that he engaged in activity that was protected by the first amendment after he spoke and participated in a protest about gun violence following The Covenant School shooting.
His participation led to him being removed from the Government Oversight Committee, the Education Administration Committee, the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, and the Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee.
Jones believes that "despite having been duly—and overwhelmingly—reelected by the people of the 52nd Legislative District, the Speaker and the House Republican majority have prevented and continue to prevent Representative Jones from speaking on behalf of his constituents by their continuing to deny Representative Jones his seat on the Government Operations committee to which he was duly appointed."
He also alleges that a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment For Denial of Impartial Hearing, Violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for disparate racial treatment and Bill of Attainder in Violation of Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit states that the state denied equal protection to Representative Jones in "treating him differently than similarly situated white House members for the same conduct."
For example as stated in the lawsuit, Jones, who is Black was expelled from the House, while Representative Gloria Johnson, who did the same as Jones and is white, was not expelled.
