Former Tennessee lawmaker Justin Pearson speaks at an Easter Sunday

Former lawmaker Justin Pearson, who had been expelled along with Justin Jones from the Republican-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives for staging a rule-breaking demonstration for gun control on the statehouse floor after a recent school shooting, attends an Easter Sunday service at the Church on the River in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. April 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Pulfer Focht