Two strikes, you’re out: TN House votes to ban spectators for reacting during session

When the Tennessee House re-elected Cameron Sexton as House Speaker on Tuesday, members of the public gallery booed the decision. Now, Sexton, R-Crossville, will have the power to ban vocal observers from the House under a new rules package passed Thursday for the 114^th General Assembly.

First offenders will be banned for two legislative days. On the second expulsion, observers could be banned for up to two years, when the next general assembly convenes in 2027.

“Until the last year or two, this has not been an issue,” House Majority Leader William Lamberth said.

The 113^th General Assembly drew crowds of protestors in 2023, calling for gun reform after the Covenant School shooting. During that year’s special session, the House tried to ban observers from holding signs in the gallery, but a Nashville judge ruled it unconstitutional. Since then, the House has restricted half of the gallery to guests of lawmakers only.

For the new rules, Republican leadership pointed to policy surrounding public observers in other state legislatures and at the U.S. House.

“There’s very few things that D.C. gets right, but I will say when you visit the observation gallery of the House, you’re not allowed to participate in any shape, form or fashion,” Lamberth, R-Portland, said on the House floor. “You are there to observe your government at work, but not to participate.”

The new rules will also allow Sexton to ban lawmakers from the House floor after an as-yet-undisclosed number of offenses. Banned lawmakers would then have the option to vote remotely from a committee room in a separate building.

Sexton said that the new rules are an alternative to expulsions. Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, and Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville were expelled in 2023 after leading a gun reform protest on the House floor. Both lawmakers were re-elected by their respective cities.

“Our rules didn’t allow us to do anything other than expulsion or a censureship. So, now we are trying to get our rules up to allow us to have more options at our disposal for those instances without having, maybe, to move to expulsion or use censureship,” Sexton said.

The House will reconvene on Jan. 27 for a special session on school choice, immigration and disaster aid for East Tennessee.