Prominent Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was arrested Thursday for "civil disobedience." The arrest was part of an organized voting rights protest at the U.S. Capitol building.
Civil disobedience by congressional Democrats appears to be on the rise. Lee is the third House Democrat to be arrested in recent weeks, according to Fox News. Other democrats facing legal action following arrests are Reps. Joyce Beatty of Ohio and Hank Johnson of Georgia. All were participating in protests related to voting rights and election issues.
Following her detainment, Lee posted a message to Twitter. In it she boasted, "Yes I engaged in civil disobedience today in front of the Hart Building in Washington, D.C., and I was arrested." Lee, a congressional member since 1995, added "I believe when you’re getting into good trouble, when you realize the 15th Amendment has guaranteed the fundamental right to vote, any action that is a peaceful action of civil disobedience is worthy and more to push all of us to do better and to do more."
The Texas Democrat’s reference to "good trouble" is a nod to the late Rep. John Lewis. Lewis, a veteran of 1960s-era civil rights protests, often used the term to encourage disobeying laws for the moral good.
The arrests of all three House Democrats took place in front of the Hart Senate Office Building. That part of the Capitol houses the offices of Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. Manchin and Sinema are currently the targets of other democrats seeking to change Senate rules that would move forward a federal voting rights bill.
It was unclear what exactly the congresswoman did to be arrested or what the terms of her release included.
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