Overview
- Video shows Rep. Justin Pearson confronting Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers during a Thursday protest at the Capitol over a redistricting vote.
- Troopers cleared the House gallery after Speaker Cameron Sexton ordered it emptied when parachutes were tossed and a fire alarm was pulled.
- Pearson said troopers arrested his brother for refusing to leave the balcony, and the specific charges were not yet clear.
- The Republican-led House passed the congressional map despite the disruption, and opponents say it would weaken Democratic and Black representation.
- Coverage diverged by outlet, with Mediaite focusing on Pearson shielding his brother and right-leaning sites highlighting his expletives and the speaker’s “color-blind” framing of the map.