Lawmaker apologizes for lynching comment amid calls for discipline

Black lawmakers in Tennessee are calling for Rep. Paul Sherrell (R-Sparta) to be removed from legislative committees or resign after he espoused support for “hanging by a tree” as an alternative execution method in the state.

Sherrell made the statement during a Tuesday committee debate over a bill that would add firing squads to the state’s execution arsenal. Black lawmakers and advocacy groups said Sherrell’s language evoked Tennessee’s long history of racist violence and lynchings.