Chattanooga, TN – According to the state officials, each appointment is effective September 1, 2022, and subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The following Tennesseans have been appointed:
- Professor Jeffrey Usman – Court of Appeals, Middle Division
- Judge Tom Greenholtz – Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Division
- Judge Kyle Hixson – Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Division
According to the statement, 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 will succeed Judge Richard H. Dinkins.
According to the statement, Judge Tom Greenholtz is a Criminal Court Judge for the 11th Judicial District. Greenholtz previously spent 13 years in private practice handling criminal and civil matters.
According to the statement, Judge Kyle Hixson is a Criminal Court Judge for the 6th Judicial District. Hixson 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.
Greenholtz and Hixson will succeed Judge Norma McGee Ogle and Judge D. Kelly Thomas, Jr., respectively.
Governor Bill Lee released the following statement:
“Each of these qualified Tennesseans will bring valuable experience to their respective roles. I am confident they will serve our state with the highest integrity, and I look forward to their service.”