All Democratic members of the Tennessee House of Representatives have been removed from their committee and subcommittee assignments following protests and disruptions during last week’s special legislative session on congressional redistricting.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton announced the disciplinary action Tuesday, accusing Democratic lawmakers of encouraging disorderly conduct during debate over a newly approved congressional map.

The controversial redistricting plan, approved during the special session in Nashville, redraws a Memphis-area congressional district that had previously been majority-Black. Critics argue the changes could shift the district from Democratic to Republican control in future elections.

During the session, protesters in the House gallery shouted chants and sounded air horns while several Democratic lawmakers gathered at the front of the chamber linking arms in protest. Republicans said the demonstrations disrupted legislative proceedings and violated House decorum rules.

In letters sent to Democratic leadership, Sexton cited lawmakers for blocking aisles, using prohibited props and noisemakers, and participating in organized demonstrations on the House floor. Republicans currently hold a 75-24 supermajority in the House.

Democratic leaders sharply criticized the move, calling it political retaliation. House Minority Leader Karen Camper described the redistricting effort as an abuse of power and vowed Democrats would continue speaking out against the new map.

State Representative Justin Jones, one of the lawmakers disciplined, also condemned the decision, saying it reflected a continued pattern of political retaliation inside the legislature.

The developments come amid ongoing tensions in the Tennessee legislature following previous high-profile disciplinary actions involving Democratic lawmakers, including the 2023 expulsion proceedings involving members of the so-called “Tennessee Three.”