Judge Tom Greenholtz
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Monday announced appointments to three judicial positions across the state, including Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tom Greenholtz named to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.
“Each of these qualified Tennesseans will bring valuable experience to their respective roles,” said Governor Lee.
“I am confident they will serve our state with the highest integrity, and I look forward to their service.”
Also appointed:
- Professor Jeffrey Usman – Court of Appeals, Middle Division
- Judge Kyle Hixson – Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Division
The move opens a seat in Hamilton County Criminal Court.
Professor Jeffrey Usman is an Associate Professor of Law at Belmont University College of Law. Usman has held judicial clerkships with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and the Tennessee Supreme Court. Usman has also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Usman earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, LL.M. from Harvard Law School and bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.
He will succeed Judge Richard H. Dinkins.
Judge Greenholtz is a Criminal Court Judge for the 11th Judicial District. He previously spent 13 years in private practice handling criminal and civil matters. He has also clerked for the Tennessee Supreme Court and served as an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 20 years. Judge Greenholtz earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Judge Kyle Hixson is a Criminal Court Judge for the 6th Judicial District. He has experience at every level of the state criminal justice process, serving twice in the Office of the Knox County District Attorney General and representing the State of Tennessee before multiple federal and state courts. Judge Hixson earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Judges Greenholtz and Hixson will succeed Judge Norma McGee Ogle and Judge D. Kelly Thomas, Jr., respectively.
Each appointment is effective Sept. 1, 2022, and subject to confirmation by the General Assembly.