Tennessee Democratic senator suspended from committee over special session protest

Tennessee’s Republican lieutenant governor is meting out punishment to a Democratic senator for protesting on the Senate floor at the end of a special session in which lawmakers broke up the state’s only majority-minority congressional district in Memphis.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who is also Senate speaker, notified Nashville Sen. Charlane Oliver on Wednesday that she is being suspended from the Government Operations Committee, which meets during the summer, and reassigned to the State and Local Government Committee. That panel doesn’t meet when the legislature is out of session. 

In addition, Oliver will not receive per diem for legislative work and will not be allowed to use state funds to attend legislative conferences.

McNally placed Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro on the Joint Government Operations Committee.

In a statement to the Lookout, McNally said he has treated Democratic members “fairly and consistently” in his time as Senate speaker, including during the recent special session. He said he gave each Democrat 20 minutes to speak during the final floor debate and more time to Oliver.

“Despite that, she decided to stand on her desk while her colleagues gathered in the well without permission. It was a clear violation of Senate decorum and centuries of tradition. It was performative, childish, and beneath the dignity of this institution. As the most egregious offender, Senator Oliver received the most significant penalty. But the reprimands issued to the others should also be taken seriously. I take them seriously and I am confident whoever follows me as speaker will as well,” McNally said in a statement.

Oliver did not respond to a request for comment, but the Senate Democratic Caucus issued a joint statement saying, “State Republicans called an unprecedented special session. It was not to cut costs for Tennessee families and small businesses. It was to silence Black voters in Memphis by rigging Tennessee’s congressional map — at Donald Trump’s personal request — to shield his corrupt administration from accountability for his crimes.”

The statement confirmed that each member of the caucus received a reprimand letter “for our united opposition to this immoral power grab” and that Oliver was removed from the Government Operations Committee and denied pay for some legislative work.

“We knew there could be consequences for standing in the way. But speaking truth to power in this moment was worth the cost,” the statement says. “Senate Democrats stood up for what was right. Reprimands will not silence our caucus, just like rigged maps will not erase the political power of Memphis.”

Holding a banner that read “No Jim Crowe 2.0,” Oliver stood on her desk, swaying and singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in protest of the vote during the final minutes of the special session on May 7.

Senate Chief Clerk Russell Humphrey and a sergeant at arms pulled the banner away from her. 

McNally was furious and ordered her to get off the desk, then told other Democrats who locked arms in a show of solidarity at the front of the Senate chamber that they had to be in their seats to cast a vote. He turned off Oliver’s voting buttons before she could bend down to cast a vote.

Tennessee House speaker suspends all Dems from committees, citing decorum violation

McNally sent the Senate’s other five Democrats letters of reprimand notifying them that their actions on the floor violated “order and decorum.” The Democratic Caucus is outnumbered 27-6 in the Senate.

“In watching the video footage, it was observed that you approached and remained in the well for a period of time without requesting or receiving permission from the Speaker,” the letter says.

McNally, who is not running for re-election this year after nearly a half-century in the legislature, said similar action would lead to further punishment. He became Senate speaker in January 2017, replacing Ron Ramsey.

Gov. Bill Lee called the special session at the request of President Donald Trump who wanted congressional districts redrawn after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key provision in the 1965 Voting Rights Act requiring states with a history of racial discrimination to maintain majority-minority voting blocks. 

The Republican-controlled legislature reversed a state law that prohibited redistricting in the midst of a 10-year cycle, extended the deadline for qualifying to enter congressional races and redrew the state’s nine districts, cracking Memphis’ 9th Congressional District by combining it with Republican-leaning counties stretching along the state’s southern border and into Maury and Williamson counties. A similar move was made with the 5th Congressional District as lawmakers stretched it from northwest Memphis through rural, Republican-leaning counties into Williamson County in Middle Tennessee.

The new 8th Congressional District takes in much of northeastern Memphis and Shelby County and reaches into rural counties in West Tennessee.

Republican lawmakers admitted the redistricting was done for political purposes to give the GOP a 9-0 sweep of the state’s congressional seats and provide Trump another vote at the midterm election to back his policies.