Tennessee Supreme Court justice vacancy (June 2026): Difference between revisions
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|Vacancy title=Kirby vacancy | |Vacancy title=Kirby vacancy | ||
|Vacancy date=June 30, 2026 | |Vacancy date=June 30, 2026 | ||
|Vacancy status= | |Vacancy status=Seat filled | ||
|Nomination title=Nomination | |Nomination title=Nomination | ||
|Nominee= | |Nominee=[[Kyle Hixson]] | ||
|Nomination date= | |Nomination date=January 22, 2026 | ||
}} | }} | ||
<section begin=intro/>[[Tennessee Supreme Court]] Justice [[Holly Kirby]] {{Greener|start=06/30/2026|before=is retiring|after=retired}} on June 30, 2026. She announced her retirement in a press release dated September 23, 2025.<ref name=announcement>[https://tncourts.gov/press/2025/09/23/tennessee-supreme-court-justice-holly-kirby-announces-retirement ''Tennessee Courts,'' "Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby Announces Retirement," September 23, 2025]</ref> | <section begin=intro/>On January 22, 2026, [[Governor of Tennessee|Governor]] [[Bill Lee (Tennessee)|Bill Lee]] (R) appointed [[Kyle Hixson]] to the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]], replacing Justice [[Holly Kirby]], who {{Greener|start=06/30/2026|before=is retiring|after=retired}} on June 30, 2026. She announced her retirement in a press release dated September 23, 2025.<ref name=announcement>[https://tncourts.gov/press/2025/09/23/tennessee-supreme-court-justice-holly-kirby-announces-retirement ''Tennessee Courts,'' "Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby Announces Retirement," September 23, 2025]</ref> Hixson is Gov. [[Judges appointed by Bill Lee|Lee's]] fourth nominee to the five-member supreme court. | ||
{{SSC judicial selection methods|State=Tennessee}}<br><br> | {{SSC judicial selection methods|State=Tennessee}}<br><br> | ||
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Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]] vacancy: | Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]] vacancy: | ||
*An overview of the '''[[#The appointee|appointee]]'''. | |||
*A list of '''[[#Finalists|finalists]]''' recommended to the governor. | |||
*A list of '''[[#Applicants|candidates]]''' who applied to the vacancy. | *A list of '''[[#Applicants|candidates]]''' who applied to the vacancy. | ||
*An overview of the '''[[#The selection process|selection process]]'''. | *An overview of the '''[[#The selection process|selection process]]'''. | ||
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*A list of '''[[#Other state supreme court appointments in 2026|other state supreme court appointments]]''' in 2026. | *A list of '''[[#Other state supreme court appointments in 2026|other state supreme court appointments]]''' in 2026. | ||
==The appointee== | ==The appointee== | ||
::''See also: [[ | ::''See also: [[Kyle Hixson]]'' | ||
[[File: | [[File:Kyle_Hixson.jpg|125px|right]] | ||
{{#section: | |||
--> | On January 22, 2026, [[Governor of Tennessee|Governor]] [[Bill Lee (Tennessee)|Bill Lee]] (R) appointed [[Kyle Hixson]] to the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]].<ref name=appt>[https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2026/1/22/gov--lee-announces-key-judicial-appointments.html ''Tennessee.gov - Office of the Governor,'' "Gov. Lee Announces Key Judicial Appointments," January 22, 2026]</ref> Hixson was confirmed on March 5, 2026.<ref name=confirm>[https://pro.stateaffairs.com/tn/news/kyle-hixson-tennessee-supreme-court ''The Tennesse Journal,'' "Hixson confirmed to Supreme Court; Knoxville blasts 'partisan' process," March 5, 2026]</ref> | ||
Prior to his {{Greener|start=6/30/2026|before=appointment to|after=tenure on}} the Tennessee Supreme Court, Hixson served on the [[Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals]] from 2022 until 2026. | |||
<!--{{#section:Kyle Hixson|bio}}--> | |||
==Appointee candidates and nominations== | ==Appointee candidates and nominations== | ||
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{{Courts by state}} | {{Courts by state}} | ||
[[Category:State supreme court vacancies, | [[Category:State supreme court vacancies, filled]] | ||
[[Category:State supreme court vacancies, Tennessee]] | [[Category:State supreme court vacancies, Tennessee]] | ||
[[Category:State supreme court vacancies, 2026]] | [[Category:State supreme court vacancies, 2026]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:13, 6 March 2026
| Tennessee Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Kirby vacancy |
| Date: June 30, 2026 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Kyle Hixson |
| Date: January 22, 2026 |
On January 22, 2026, Governor Bill Lee (R) appointed Kyle Hixson to the Tennessee Supreme Court, replacing Justice Holly Kirby, who is retiring on June 30, 2026. She announced her retirement in a press release dated September 23, 2025.[1] Hixson is Gov. Lee's fourth nominee to the five-member supreme court.
In Tennessee, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the governor appoints a replacement justice from a list from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by both chambers of the state legislature. If filling an interim vacancy, the appointee stands for retention in the next general election at least 30 days after the vacancy occurred. The retained judge serves out the remainder of the unexpired term before again running for retention to serve a full eight-year term.[2][3] Judges are voted upon by the voters of the whole state.[4]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Tennessee Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of finalists recommended to the governor.
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2026.
The appointee
- See also: Kyle Hixson
On January 22, 2026, Governor Bill Lee (R) appointed Kyle Hixson to the Tennessee Supreme Court.[5] Hixson was confirmed on March 5, 2026.[6]
Prior to his appointment to the Tennessee Supreme Court, Hixson served on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals from 2022 until 2026.
Appointee candidates and nominations
Finalists
The Tennessee Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments released a list of three finalists who passed the interview phase of the selection process. The finalists will be sent to Gov. Bill Lee (R), who will make the final decision. The finalists were:[7]
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge J. Ross Dyer
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kyle Hixson
- Attorney Shea Sisk Wellford[8]
Applicants
The Tennessee Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments released a list of candidates who applied to succeed Justice Kirby. The applicants were interviewed on November 25, 2025. The applicants were:[9]
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge J. Ross Dyer
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kyle Hixson
- U.S. Attorney Eileen Kuo
- Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Carma Dennis McGee
- Attorney Shea Sisk Wellford[10]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Tennessee
In Tennessee, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Tennessee Supreme Court
Justices
Following Kirby's retirement, the Tennessee Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Dwight Tarwater | Appointed by Gov. Bill Lee (R) in 2023 | |
| ■ Jeff Bivins | Appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam (R) in 2014 | |
| ■ Sarah Campbell | Appointed by Gov. Bill Lee (R) in 2022 | |
| ■ Mary L. Wagner | Appointed by Gov. Bill Lee (R) in 2024 |
About the court
Founded in 1870, the Tennessee Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Jeff Bivins. In 2018, the court decided 1,003 cases.
As of September 2024, five judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.
The Tennessee Supreme Court meets in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville, Tennessee.[11]
In Tennessee, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
About Justice Kirby
- See also: Holly Kirby
Kirby received her undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Memphis in 1979 and her J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law in 1982.[12] Kirby began her legal career in 1982 as a law clerk to Judge Harry Wellford of the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She then worked as an attorney in private practice from 1983 to 1995 and later became a partner at the firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson. She was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 1995. Kirby was the first woman to serve on the court of appeals. She was retained to this court in August 1996, 1998, 2006, and 2014. In late 2013, she was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court Western Section, effective September 1, 2014.[12][13]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2026
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2026
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2026. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2025.
| 2026 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tennessee Courts, "Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby Announces Retirement," September 23, 2025
- ↑ Lexis Nexis, "Tennessee Code Annotated § 17-4-101," accessed April 25, 2024
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedTNgeneral - ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee.gov - Office of the Governor, "Gov. Lee Announces Key Judicial Appointments," January 22, 2026
- ↑ The Tennesse Journal, "Hixson confirmed to Supreme Court; Knoxville blasts 'partisan' process," March 5, 2026
- ↑ Note: Finalists are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
- ↑ Tennessee Courts, "Council Sends Three Names to Governor for Upcoming Tennessee Supreme Court Vacancy," November 25, 2025
- ↑ Note: Applicants are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
- ↑ Tennessee Courts, "Council to Consider Five Applicants for TN Supreme Court Vacancy," October 22, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee State Courts, "About the Supreme Court," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Tennessee State Courts, "Holly Kirby," accessed Jully 28, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsupremeappoint
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Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court • Tennessee Court of Appeals • Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals • Tennessee Circuit Court • Tennessee Chancery Courts • Tennessee Criminal Court • Tennessee Probate Court • Tennessee General Sessions Court • Tennessee Juvenile Court • Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee • Tennessee judicial elections • Judicial selection in Tennessee
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- ↑ Note: As of March 2026, Justice Few has not announced his official retirement date.
