Tennessee House Speaker Removes All Democrats from Committees and Subcommittees After Redistricting Protests

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton stripped every Democratic lawmaker of their committee and subcommittee assignments Tuesday as punishment for disruptive protests during the special session on congressional redistricting.

In a letter dated May 12 addressed to House Democratic Leader Karen Camper, Sexton said the entire Democratic caucus engaged in actions “aimed at disrupting the democratic and legislative processes and creating disorder on the House floor.” Specific examples included lawmakers interlocking arms in the well of the House, blocking aisles, using prohibited props and noisemakers, and encouraging protests from the gallery.

The removals affect all 24 House Democrats and take effect immediately for the remainder of the legislative session. They apply to all standing committees and subcommittees, leaving most panels without Democratic representation.

The discipline follows last week’s special session in which Republicans passed a new congressional map that eliminates Tennessee’s only majority-Black district and is expected to produce an all-Republican U.S. House delegation for the state in 2026. Democrats had protested the map both on the floor and outside committee rooms throughout the week.

Republicans described the move as necessary to uphold House rules and maintain order. Democrats called it retaliation and said it prevents them from representing nearly two million Tennesseans on key issues. House Democratic Leader Karen Camper criticized the decision as “unprecedented” and an attempt to silence opposition.

The action marks the latest escalation in partisan tensions over redistricting in Tennessee following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent narrowing of the Voting Rights Act. No similar removals have occurred in the state Senate at this time.