Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) took disciplinary action against State Senator Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) this week for her conduct during the Tennessee General Assembly’s special legislative session earlier this month, when lawmakers approved a new congressional redistricting map.
Oliver was seen standing on her desk in the Senate chamber during the redistricting vote while shouting and displaying a banner criticizing the new congressional map as a “Jim Crow 2.0” effort in an attempt to disrupt voting proceedings.
Video also appeared to show Oliver attempting to retrieve the sign from a Senate Sergeant at Arms who had confiscated it.
In a letter Oliver shared on social media Wednesday, McNally informed the Nashville Democrat that she would be stripped of certain legislative privileges, barred from receiving some travel reimbursements, and reassigned to a different committee following her actions on the Senate floor earlier this month.
“This letter is to inform you that your actions on the Senate Floor on May 7, 2026 violate the Senate Rules regarding order and decorum in the chamber. In watching the video footage, it was observed that you stood on your desk in the chamber, unfurled a banner that you resisted handing over to the sergeant of arms when he requested you do so, and sang while dancing on your desk,” McNally wrote.
As of Wednesday, May 27, McNally said Oliver is only approved for per diem on days the General Assembly is in session or on days her attendance is required for a standing committee meeting; not approved for reimbursement for travel to any legislative conferences held outside of Tennessee; and reassigned from the Government Operations Committee to the State and Local Government Committee.
Oliver responded to McNally’s letter in a statement posted to social media, accusing Tennessee Republicans of using the redistricting process to “silence” Black voters and defending her actions on the Senate floor.
“The actions I took on May 7th were not a violation of decorum. They were a direct response to a majority party that has systematically stripped Black communities of fair representation through gerrymandered, racially discriminatory redistricting maps,” Oliver said.
The disciplinary action against Oliver follows similar measures taken earlier this month by Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) against Democratic House members who were involved in protests and disruptions during the special legislative session.
Sexton announced that Democratic House lawmakers would be removed from nearly all current House standing committee and subcommittee assignments after demonstrations erupted during debate over the congressional redistricting proposal.
In a May 12 letter to House Minority Leader Karen Camper (D-Memphis), Sexton said Democratic members would retain only committee assignments required under House Rule 65, which guarantees minority party representation on certain legislative panels.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “State Senator Charlane Oliver” by State Sen. Charlane Oliver.
