Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones raise their fists as a video of last week's gun control demonstration at

Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones gesture as a video of a gun control demonstration at the statehouse is screened and Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives prepare to vote to expel them for their role in it.

Credit: Cheney Orr / REUTERS

The panel:

Eric Tanenblatt, Global chair of public policy, Dentons, @ericjtanenblatt

Sen. Kim Jackson, (D) Stone Mountain, @KimforGeorgia

Patricia Murphy, political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, @MurphyAJC

Stephen Fowler, political reporter, GPB News, @stphnfwlr

 

The breakdown:

1. Abortion pill access in jeopardy after judges issue conflicting rulings. 

  • In Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the FDA improperly approved the abortion pill mifepristone more than 20 years ago. 
  • But within hours of that decision, U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice issued a ruling in a separate case in Washington state.

LISTEN: State Sen. Kim Jackson on the rulings' effects on Georgia.

2. Local officials are poised to send expelled Black Tennessee lawmakers back to state House.

  • Impending local meetings could pave the way for former Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis to return to their posts.
    • Some 130,000 voters in heavily Black districts are currently without representation.
    • State Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, was spared from expulsion by one vote.
  • The two former Democratic lawmakers were expelled by Republican colleagues after they staged a protest on the House floor calling for gun law reforms following the Nashville school shootings. 

LISTEN: GPB's Bill Nigut and Stephen Fowler reflect on Georgia's history of expelling Black legislators.

3. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas explains why he didn't report trips paid for by billionaire.

  • Thomas responded to reporting from ProPublica that details how he did not disclose private, expensive vacations paid for by a conservative billionaire.
  • Thomas said in a statement yesterday he didn't disclose those trips because, quote, "he was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends who did not have business before the court was not reportable." 

LISTEN: Eric Tanenblatt speaks on how social media affects public perception of the Supreme Court.

 

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Tamar Hallerman joins the show.

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