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4 East Tennesseans named finalists to fill appellate court vacancies

The four are Kyle Hixson, Andrew Freiberg, Tracy Jenkins and Thomas Greenholtz.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Three East Tennessee judges and a prosecutor are finalists to fill two vacancies on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

One of the candidates is Knox County Criminal Court Judge Kyle Hixson, who has been on the bench since January 2020. Hixson is a former Knox County prosecutor and a Cumberland County native.

Besides Hixson, the other three finalists are Andrew Freiberg, Thomas Greenholtz and Tracy Jenkins.

Freiberg is a Circuit Court judge in the McMinn-Monroe-Bradley County area and Greenholtz is a Criminal Court judge in Hamilton County. Jenkins is a prosecutor in Blount County.

Credit: WBIR
Judge Kyle Hixson

The four applied to fill the spots on the appeals court of D. Kelly Thomas and Norma McGee Ogle, both of whom are finishing their terms this year after long careers on the bench.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met Thursday and reviewed seven applications. They narrowed their choices to the four, sending them on to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration.

It could be weeks or months before Lee decides.

Lee previously has appointed Hixson to fill a vacancy when Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee retired.

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