Editor’s Note: I am not in the business of judging Gloria Johnson on a singular vote… especially in this matter. The matter of taking a life, any life, should be taken seriously and this I understand having taking many lives in the service of the United States. And so here I think she took the right step and she should be complimented for standing her ground right or wrong. None the less Tom Pappert wrote an excellent article on matter.
U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on Tuesday was the only member of the Tennessee State House Criminal Justice Subcommittee to vote against legislation that would allow prosecutors to pursue a death penalty sentence for convicted child rapists.
After an exchange with Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland) over his bill, HB 1663, which amends existing law to authorize “the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child,” Johnson voted against the legislation. She was seen on video verifying her “no” vote would be recorded by making a thumbs-down gesture.
Johnson expressed concern that the possibility of a death penalty sentence for child rapists could prevent victims from going to the police. After acknowledging child rapists “definitely have to be accountable,” Johnson argued, “we can do that with life in prison.”
She claimed to have spoken to victims who argued that because “with this particular crime, it’s familial,” there is a “concern” that family members will stay silent about the sexual abuse of children rather than risk a loved one being executed by the state for the crime.
“If there is a young child who was raped by an uncle,” argued Johnson, “an uncle is going to say, ‘Don’t tell because then I’ll be killed, I’ll get the death penalty.’ Then you’ll have the mother of the child, who is the sister of the [perpetrator], who maybe won’t want to testify against her brother if it means the death penalty.”
Johnson said, “Victims fear it will create a chilling effect on reporting, and some people, especially in family situations, will not report. They’re also concerned about it revictimizing the victim every time an appeal comes up, they have to tell the story again.”
Lamberth argued in response that the true chilling effect would be felt by those seeking to victimize children.
“The chilling effect this will have, again, let this message go out far and wide: If you rape a child in the State of Tennessee, then you will die,” Lamberth argued. “If it saves even one child from going through that, if the fear of that gets in the head of some monster out there that’s even thinking about this, then it’s worth saving that child.”
He added that “life in prison for these evil people is simply too good” and argued that, with a sentence of life in prison, rape victims are forced to pay for food, housing, and medical care for their rapist as they subsist in the penal system.
He said, “If you rape a child in the State of Tennessee, then you will forfeit your own life. That’s your choice as a pedophile, that’s your choice to do it. Our choice is to put that out there as a possibility.”
Johnson remained adamant, telling Lamberth the death penalty would risk making “too many victims afraid to come forward.” Hers was the only vote against HB 1663 on the subcommittee, and the bill will now advance to the House Criminal Justice Committee for consideration.
A member of the Tennessee Three who faced expulsion last year, Johnson is seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for her seat in the U.S. Senate. Polls generally show Blackburn beating Johnson by around 20 percentage points.
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News, and also reports for The Tennessee Star and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to pappert.tom@proton.me.
