Justin J. Pearson

Justin Jamal Pearson (born January 7, 1995) is a Democratic politician and activist from Memphis, Tennessee, currently serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives ⁴. He represents District 86, which covers parts of Memphis and Shelby County ²². Pearson assumed office on April 12, 2023, after being appointed by the Shelby County Commission following his expulsion from the state House earlier that year ⁴. His current term ends on November 3, 2026 ¹.

Pearson is running in the August 6, 2026, Democratic primary for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Steve Cohen ¹³⁷. He is also seeking re-election to his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 86 in the same primary ¹.

Early Life and Education Pearson was born in Memphis to Dr. Kimberly Owens-Pearson, a teacher, and Rev. Jason C. Pearson, Sr., a preacher ⁴⁶. He grew up in poverty as one of five sons ⁶. At age 11, his family moved to the Washington, D.C. area while his father pursued a master's degree at Howard University; they returned to Memphis four years later ⁴. Pearson graduated as valedictorian from Mitchell High School in Memphis ⁴⁷. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government & Legal Studies with a minor in Education Studies from Bowdoin College in 2017, where he was a Mellon Mays fellow and attended the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs summer institute ⁴.

Activism and Career Before entering elected office, Pearson worked as a community organizer ¹. In 2020, he co-founded Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), an environmental advocacy group that successfully stopped the construction of the Byhalia Pipeline, which would have passed through south Memphis neighborhoods and over the Memphis sand aquifer ⁴⁶. He has also organized against Sterilization Services of Tennessee for fugitive emissions and opposed an xAI data center project in his district ⁶.

Tennessee House of Representatives Pearson first entered the Tennessee House in January 2023 via a special election to succeed Barbara Cooper, who died in office ¹⁴. He was sworn in at age 28, becoming one of the youngest lawmakers in the state’s history ⁴.

In March 2023, following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Pearson joined Representatives Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson on the House floor to lead a protest for gun control legislation using a bullhorn ¹⁵³⁵. On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House voted 69-26 to expel Pearson and Jones for violating decorum rules; Johnson survived expulsion by one vote ¹⁴. The expulsions drew national attention and accusations of racism, as the two expelled members were Black while Johnson was white ³⁵.

On April 12, 2023, the Shelby County Commission voted unanimously (7-0) to reinstate Pearson to his seat as an interim representative ¹⁵³³. He served in this capacity until winning a special general election on June 15, 2023, where he received 1,930 votes against independent candidate Jeff Johnston’s 136 votes ²².

Legislative Record and Controversies Pearson has sponsored legislation focused on gun violence prevention, claiming to have written the most such bills in the 113th General Assembly ⁷. He has also led efforts to address voter registration issues, highlighting that approximately 25% of Shelby County voters were listed as "inactive" in 2026 ¹³.

The 2023 expulsion remains a defining event in his career. Pearson described the expulsion as an attempt by the Republican supermajority to silence democracy and stated, "You can't expel hope" ³³³⁵. The special elections required to fill his seat cost the state approximately $400,000 ²².

Family Pearson married Oceana Gilliam in July 2025 ⁶. He has two dogs named Starrie and Curly ⁶. His father is a preacher who leads the Church of the River in Memphis ³³⁶.

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