Former Obama AG Holder threatened to sue Tennessee if ousted lawmakers weren't reinstated

Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder threatened legal action against state lawmakers if they did not reinstate two recently ousted representatives to their posts.

The state House voted to remove state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson earlier this month due to their actions during a gun control protest at the Capitol. The Nashville Metropolitan Council this week reappointed Jones to his seat as an interim representative in a unanimous vote. The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is likely to appoint Pearson to return to his seat as well, the Tennessee Star reported.

Holder is one of the attorneys representing Jones and Pearson. Prior to Jones's return, Holder and his colleagues wrote to Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton, saying "House Republicans not only wrongfully stripped these Representatives of their rights as duly-elected legislators but also disenfranchised the voters they were elected to represent."

The pair "should be promptly sworn back in as members of the General Assembly and granted the same benefits, rights, duties, and liberties as any other member," he continued. "The world is watching Tennessee."

"Any partisan retributive action, such as the discriminatory treatment of elected officials, or threats or actions to withhold funding for

government programs, would constitute further unconstitutional action that would require redress," Holder further warned.

The Star indicated that Tennessee Republicans sought to bar the return of either lawmaker but that House leadership opted against such action after receiving the letter from Holder and his colleagues. 

Pearson thanked the former Attorney General and others for their support on social media.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.